Carved in Stone
by TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne
Summary: Raven makes a mistake that comes back unexpectedly to haunt her. Very loosely based on the original story. Chapter 8 is posted. Raven goes to the depressing cafe. Story on Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

Hello readers.

This is going to be a different kind of story for me. Some of you might not like it, but I ask that you give it a chance.

_**-( scene break )-**_

"You are so immature!"

The twenty four year old superhero known as 'Changeling' crossed his green arms across his now broad chest and glared at his girlfriend.

"Gee, Rae, that put down is so … original." He replied in a huff. "It's what, the 527th time you've called me that?"

"Only because it's true." She snapped back at him.

"Oh, I see, I'm immature because I'd like us to go out somewhere I'd like, for a change."

Starfire watched the altercation nervously from the kitchen, where she was preparing some of her Tamaranian slop, which was probably toxic for humans. She was sorely tempted to intervene, but past experience had taught her that it was pointless. The best thing to do was to allow the Chromatically Challenged Couple™ to run their spat until it petered out of its own accord. After that they would both sulk for a few days, after which Garfield would approach Raven with a conciliatory gesture, maybe some flowers or if it was a really bad fight he might take her out to dinner and maybe a concert with the city's symphony orchestra.

Starfire, Nightwing and Cyborg would know that the civil war was over when the changeling resumed sleeping in Raven's room. That temporary bliss usually lasted about 6 weeks, though once they went three whole months before having another fight.

Such was life in the Tower, which was now inhabited by the "Titans" who had long since dropped the word "Teen" from their title. A lot had changed in the Tower, but none of the changes had been quite as unexpected as the formation of Chromatically Challenged Couple™. It was one of those events people would sometimes describe as "No one could have seen it coming", and the truth is that neither Raven or Beast Boy, as he was still known back then, could explain what hit them.

It was one of those strange, inexplicable cosmic events. It defied all conventions and common sense. Raven was a taciturn, introverted, emotionless intellectual. By her admission she didn't do "fun" and her idea of a good time was reading dull college textbooks. The changeling was the opposite. He was extroverted, wore his emotions on his sleeve and was very much into fun. Oh, and he hated reading books with a passion, unless they were of the graphic novel variety.

When they actually became a couple was a complete mystery. They never announced their relationship to their friends, and in fact, to this very day Raven would deny that the changeling was her boyfriend; even though they had been sharing a bed for almost five years now, at least when they weren't fighting. When they did fight, he would go back to his room and stay there until she allowed him to return. It was as predictable and the sunrise in the morning.

They were now entering what Cyborg had clinically, and in utmost secrecy, labeled "phase 1" of the fight cycle. It was very predictable. Raven would insult Garfield, usually attacking his alleged lack of intelligence.

"The places you like to go are juvenile and puerile." She replied with a slight edge in her voice.

In the five years they were together, Raven only ever apologized once to him. On that occasion she insulted his dead parents. That time she had gone over the line and he retreated to his room and stayed there, giving her the silent treatment. After fourteen excruciating weeks, which filled the Tower with enough tension o affect the others she finally caved in and apologized to him.

"You always say that!" He protested. "Why do we always have to do your stuff?"

That happened two years ago. Raven learned her lesson and never again mentioned the names of Marie and Mark Logan in an unflattering context. She stuck with put downs that were "safe". The problem with that however, was that it was predictable and was becoming unsatisfying for her, which is why she would sometimes venture into uncharted waters.

"If you don't like my choices, you can always find someone else to go with you to see Mutant Ninja Zombies 27, because I sure won't."

This had become Raven's new game with Beast Boy. She would dare him to date someone else.

"You know what? Maybe I will! In fact, I'll get a date for the Titans' Ball."

The Ball was an annual event started at Starfire's insistence years before. At the time Robin agreed with her, saying that it would be a good team building exercise to have Titans East and all the honorary Titans come to visit. Starfire simply thought it would be "the fun". Thus the annual tradition began and the upcoming Ball, which was just a few days away, would be the fifth one celebrated by the team.

"Good luck with that." She taunted him.

"You think I can't get a date, do you?"

This had become a new ritual. The changeling would indeed go out and try to find a girl to date. But the bitter truth was that, as Raven once told him in Tokyo, he was green, and had pointy ears and fangs. The local ladies always rebuffed him. He once asked Nightwing if he could take the T-Ship to Japan to find a date. His request was denied.

Now, one might think that Raven was cruel and didn't love the changeling. While she was indeed cruel she did love him very much. She only told him that she loved him when they were in bed together, while having sex, which she enjoyed a great deal, judging by her nightly screams of pleasure, which sometimes shook the whole Tower.

The only time she ever admitted her love for him in public had been on the day he was shot during a routine bank robbery. He had been careless that day and after he recovered from what was a minor wound she read him the riot act in the common room, in front of her friends. Cyborg asked Raven why she was so upset. Her answer was textbook Raven: _"Why? Are you an idiot? Don't you know that I love him!?"_

"You're welcome to try and find a date." She replied smugly.

The changeling stormed out of the room. If events unfurled as expected he would return that evening with his tail between his legs and concede defeat to Raven. Now before you feel too sorry for Garfield, this was when they would have their best rolls in the hay, sometimes the Tower would even tremble violently. The other three all agreed that they had the strangest relationship, but since they had somehow remained together for almost five years, what could they say? The dating gambit was one of their more mild recurring disputes and after he conceded defeat they skipped over "phase 2" or as Starfire called it "the sulk" and went directly into "phase 3", the reconciliation, which as already described usually involved copious and vigorous lovemaking sessions.

They were an unconventional couple, and over the years their friends became accustomed to their bizarre relationship. However bizarre it was, they were monogamous. While Raven always denied that they were in any sort of committed relationship, she had no other lovers, though more than once she publicly announced that she reserved the right to have them. The changeling never said anything about their relationship but was just as monogamous as Raven. For one thing, he never made good on the threat to date someone else. Apparently he had no reason to do such a thing.

No one was as disturbed with the unconventional couple as Starfire. The Tamaranian was a hopeless romantic and was deeply troubled by what appeared to be their highly dysfunctional relationship. During the first year she intervened repeatedly, telling Raven "that is no way to treat your boyfriend." Raven always replied the same way: "He's not my boyfriend and I'll treat him however I please."

Robin and Cyborg kept out of it from the beginning, though they often privately speculated about the amorous sessions the Chromatically Challenged Couple shared, reasoning that if Garfield was willing to put up with Raven's crap either he really loved her or she was a goddess in the bedroom. Maybe it was both, but in the end they decided to let sleeping dogs lie.

What was interesting about that day was that the changeling returned an hour later from his date hunting expedition with a big grin on his face. He barged into the common room and marched right up to Raven, who was sitting on the crescent shaped couch, reading a book. She didn't even look up at him.

"I got a date for the Ball!" He gloated.

She smiled maliciously at him. "Hiring a girl from an escort service doesn't count as a date."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Rave, but she's the real deal."

Raven shut her book. "Anyone I know?"

"I don't want to spoil the surprise." He gloated. "So, do you have a date?"

"I don't need one. Once your date ditches you, you'll come crawling back to me."

"Aren't you the confident little witch?"

Raven glared at him. "Don't call me that!"

Changeling suddenly looked emboldened. "Oh, did I hurt your feelings?"

Raven got up and stormed out of the room, the sliding doors closing behind her. Starfire began to fret.

"Oh, friend Beast Boy, I do not like this new situation. Only unhappiness will come from it!"

Cyborg shook his head. "Nuh, uh! It's about time if you ask me."

The tin man placed a metallic hand on the shape shifter's shoulder.

"Listen up, BB, I know that you and Raven have your own kind of relationship, but, c'mon man, she's had you whipped for years. I don't know why you accept that arrangement and I won't speculate. The thing is now you're in the driver's seat … your date … she is legit … right?"

The changeling laughed. "100% legit."

"She ain't ugly or anything?"

"She's a total babe. Raven isn't gonna like her, I guarantee it."

The tin man grinned. "Good, because what you need to do is show Raven that you don't need her and that if she wants you, that there are some new rules to the game."

"New rules?" The changeling asked.

"You'd better believe it. First of all, this crap that you're not her boyfriend has to end. Second, she needs to show you some respect!"

Nightwing laughed. "Raven? You expect Raven to show Gar some respect?"

Cyborg laughed. "You better believe it."

Nightwing grinned. "And just how is this miracle going to happen?"

"Easy man, piece of cake. When Raven sees BB's date all over him she's gonna understand that he's the man!"

"Or, she might kill him." Nightwing retorted.

"Wrong! She told him to get a date; she's in no position to complain."

Nightwing turned to face the changeling. "Gar, this is a bad idea. If you're unhappy with how Raven treats you, then tell her."

"Pfft!" Cyborg interjected. "If he does that he might as well cut his nuts off and give them to her on a platter. He needs to act from a position of strength. If he can show her that he doesn't need her she'll be putty in his hands."

Starfire cleared her throat. "Maybe Garfield does not want the putty in his hands. Maybe he just wants a girlfriend."

"That's the thing, Star. Raven won't even acknowledge that BB is her boyfriend. Sure, we can make excuses for her. She's half demon, she's uncomfortable with her emotions, she's "complicated". But you know what? I ain't buying it. Raven treats B like crap because he lets her."

Cyborg turned to the changeling. "So B, what's it gonna be?"

Changeling looked lost in thought. Finally he spoke up. "I kind of like the idea of her being jealous."

Cyborg grinned. "Good … and whoever your mystery date is, make sure she dresses for the part. Cleavage is good. And don't forget to touch her … a lot. Grab her booty, especially when Raven is nearby and make sure she sees. Don't be shy."

"This is wrong!" Starfire growled. "Garfield, you cannot use another girl as an instrument to make Raven jealous. It is unfair to your date!"

Cyborg shrugged his shoulders. "It's just a date, and who knows? Maybe they'll hit it off."

Nightwing chimed in. "I'm with Star on this one. Don't play games with her, Gar. Be honest and upfront. If Raven refuses to change and it's important to you … well … then maybe it's time to move on. But manipulating her is a bad idea."

Changeling shook his head. "Sorry, but I need to show Raven that I can get a date and that I'm not a pushover or a loser. You know, I've been really patient with her and nothing's changed. She dumps on me, she insults me, tells me I'm stupid. Then, when I get fed up, she uses sex to reel me back in. So you tell me what's wrong with me manipulating her for a change? She does it to me all the time."

"She's not going to like it, Gar."

The changeling smiled at his friend. "I'm counting on it."

_**-( scene break )-**_

Raven phased through the door into her room and sat down on the edge of her bed, which she sadly realized she wouldn't be sharing with him that night. She leaned forward and cradled her head in her hands.

"What in Azar's name is he doing?" She muttered to herself. "Is he really going to bring a date to the Ball? I'm his girlfriend!"

Raven sighed. Five years ago, the little green imp confessed his love to her. Those were perhaps the most terrifying words she had ever heard. He said "I love you."

Those three simple words had sent her mind into turmoil. Nevermore looked as if it had been hit by a hurricane, her emotions were cast into such disarray.

Getting those emotions into check was an epic task. None of them were cooperative. It was a disaster, but she was able to pull it off … well … almost. There was Rage to deal with. It's not that Rage wasn't willing to cooperate, but she had a few conditions. The main one was that Raven would continue to treat Garfield like crap, at least in public. Rage's compromise was that in the privacy of Raven's room she would behave, and why wouldn't she? There was going to be sex … lots of sex, and that suited Rage just fine.

Of course, Raven knew that this was a cop out. It wasn't like she had all these little people running around in her head and that she was an innocent bystander, all these feelings and actions were her own, she couldn't blame them on anyone other than herself. The truth was that she wanted to treat Gar like crap during the daytime and to have sex with him at night. And she knew very well that there was no one else she wanted to do this with, she really did love him. It was all so complicated. Then again, no one ever said that being a dysfunctional demoness was easy.

She explained it all to him five years ago. He understood and agreed to the conditions. Surely he knew it was just a game when she insulted him. Sure, she crossed the line with his parents, but she publicly apologized for that. He knew what he was getting into. He knew what the deal was. It was true, she would always publicly deny being in a committed relationship with him, but did that really matter if she was faithful to him in private?

So what the hell was he doing? A date? If he wanted to change the rules why not ask her? OK, so she was inflexible, but did that really matter? She gave him what he really wanted every night.

Or did he want something else?

Raven heaved a weary sigh. If he was going to have a date for the Ball, then she was going to have find one too, she couldn't go alone while he went with someone else … she would look like a total loser if that happened. Her problem was that outside of the Titans network she didn't really know anyone, plus the Ball was coming up, there was no one left to ask, everyone already had a date.

She was screwed and she knew it.

_**-( scene break )-**_

OK, I'm bringing the story back. For those who read the original, the initial setup will be familiar, up until the Ball. At that point the story will change.

I'm toning down the language from the original so that the story can be T rated. There won't be any F-bombs in this story, though it will be sordid.


	2. The Ball

The three days until the Ball passed by quickly. The Titans responded to the usual bank robberies and jewelry store heists with much aplomb and worked like the well oiled team that they were. Raven did not allow the upcoming Ball to affect her performance with the team and she did not appear to be distracted at all.

Which was interesting, as Garfield's mystery date was pretty much on the other three Titans' collective minds. Her hidden identity consumed them with unadulterated curiosity. Cyborg pried at the changeling to reveal who she was. When that failed he asked for a description of the woman. Finally, the morning before the Ball, while they were working together to prepare the common room for the party, the changeling was helping Cyborg install the disco lights, when he finally cracked and revealed some details, under Cyborg's relentless questioning.

"So, B, are you gonna tell me what this mystery woman is like or are you gonna make me wait until the party?"

As he finished wiring one of the light boxes he turned to his friend and grinned.

"She's tall, taller than she used to be."

Cyborg chuckled. "So, she's a bean pole?"

"I didn't say that. She was a bean pole when she was younger, but she's filled out, rather nicely I might add, especially her legs, nice butt too."

"Now that's what I'm talking about B, remember what I told you, when Raven's around your hand goes straight to that girl's ass and it stays there. If Raven sees that, she'll know that your date is more than just 'comfortable' with you. She'll know that woman is more than ready to become her replacement."

Changeling stopped working and looked his friend in the eye. "Cy, you don't think that's going too far do you? I mean … the only ass I really want to grab is Raven's. What if she gets really pissed at me?"

"She won't … sure, she might pull a long face when she sees you with your date, but that's the whole idea. Once you've shown her that you can hold your own she'll surrender. No more of this "you're not my boyfriend crap". You know B, I don't get it, we all know you guys have been sleeping together and having sex for years, so why the hell won't she just come forward and admit that you're her man?"

The changeling sighed. "She has her reasons."

"I don't buy it. If she can share her bed with you then it wouldn't kill her to publicly admit that she's your woman. Or do you have to get shot again for her to do that? And while we're at it, she could show you some respect … I know she won't ever change completely, heck I still kind of enjoy it when she dumps on you, but c'mon B, you've allowed yourself to become her punching bag … is she really that good?"

Without looking up, he replied: "I guess she is."

Cyborg frowned. "Look B, I don't care how good of a screw she is, this has to change. Do you really want to go through the rest of your life with a woman who keeps kicking you out of her bed every time she gets pissed with you and only lets you back in after you come back to her on your knees?"

He shook his head as he replied. "No … I don't."

Cyborg grinned. "Good, that's what I want to hear. So tell me, this girl, is she blond by any chance?"

He smiled as he nodded.

"Excellent … Raven hates blonds … with a passion. When she sees you kissing this chick and stroking her butt she'll fold like a deck of cards."

The changeling gave his friend a worried look. "Cy, are you sure this is a good idea? What if she really gets pissed and dumps me?"

"It won't happen, B, trust me. You're just showing her that you have options. Sure, she'll be in a huff and won't talk to you for a while, but if you stick to the plan she'll fold. And when that happens, you'll get to define the terms, not her."

The changeling smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Cyborg grinned. "And besides, who says you can't have any bedroom fun with your date? It'll help give you some perspective. You know, Raven might not be as good in the sack as you think she is…"

"NO!" Changeling shouted as he rose to his feet. Nightwing and Starfire, who were busy with their own preparation tasks stopped their activities and turned to stare at him.

"Sorry guys … I'll keep it down." He apologized before kneeling back down, resuming his wiring work and turning to Cyborg.

"Dude, that's going too far, I'm not gonna cheat on her."

Cyborg dismissively shook his head while a small smile formed on his lips.

"B, she won't even commit herself to you. What makes you think she's been faithful to you? In case you've forgotten, it's a lot easier for a girl to find someone to cheat with than for a guy. And face it man, she's got the goods: a nice rack and a sweet, tight ass. All she has to do is offer a no strings attached roll in the hay and most guys will say "Hell, yeah". Do you really think that that in five years she's never cheated on you?"

The changeling's face reddened in anger. "Listen Cyborg, I know Raven's a bitch and that she has fun treating me like dirt. But she has never cheated on me, never! And hell will freeze over before I cheat on her, got it?"

Cyborg raised a hand in an apologetic gesture.

"I got it … but you know what B? She doesn't deserve you, not the way she treats you now. But we'll change that, you'll see."

They resumed working on installing the disco lights and spoke no more of the matter.

_**-( scene break )-**_

_Two hours later, at the Jump City Galleria Mall …_

"Are you sure they can have a dress ready for me on such short notice?" Raven asked.

Raven simply wore her Titan's costume to previous Titans' festivities, including the all out gala Ball. She would also usually ignore Garfield at those events, not even exchanging a word with him. That did not go unnoticed by their teammates and friends. What also didn't go unnoticed was that they would always excuse themselves towards the end of the party, often within minutes of each other. They weren't fooling anyone.

"You should have told me that you wished to wear a dress to the Ball before today."

As they walked down the bustling hallway they passed several shops that had dresses displayed in their windows.

"They have dresses there, in that store." Raven remarked while mall patrons tried to gawk at the shapely female superheroes as subtly as possible.

"Those dresses are unsuitable for the Ball." Starfire replied in a huff.

"They look nice to me." Raven replied. "And they look like they are ready to wear."

"You will not wear an off the rack dress from the Dress Barn, Raven. Not to the Ball."

Raven said nothing and followed Starfire into the mall's flagship department store: Saks Fifth Avenue. As they entered the women at the ubiquitous cosmetics counter stared at them, until one spoke up: "Miss Raven, would you like a complimentary makeover?"

Starfire turned. "We will return later to accept your offer."

Raven glared at Starfire. "A makeover? As in make up? I don't do make up."

"You will today, but we must first find your dress. Once we have it, then we will allow the ladies of the cosmetics to do their magic."

The two Titans boarded the escalator while the women running the cosmetics counter grinned. Finally one of them spoke up to the woman who offered the sorceress the makeover.

"I see you like a challenge, huh Angela?"

Angela grinned. "If I can make the gray witch look good, I can make anyone look good."

_**-( scene break )-**_

Raven felt absolutely bewildered in the high end department store, like a fish out of water. They were surrounded by elegantly dressed and well coiffed women, many who looked gorgeous enough to be models.

"Who are all these beautiful young women?" She whispered to Starfire. "And how can they afford to shop here? Have you seen the prices?"

"They are the trophy wives."

Raven frowned. "That's disgusting. They're married to men they don't even love, and just for their money. They're no better than prostitutes."

Starfire raised one of her alien eyebrows. "They seem to be happy with the arrangement as are their husbands. As you once said, who are we to judge?"

Starfire and Raven finally arrived at their destination. It was a boutique within the store. A matronly woman wearing a measuring tape around her neck was waiting for them. She smiled as they arrived.

"Welcome ladies. Starfire said it was an emergency. If that's the case, you came to the right place."

She led them into a spacious fitting room, which was surrounded with mirrors.

"I thank you for your help, Miss Caroline." Starfire replied.

"I'm more than happy to help you and your friend. By the way Starfire, your dress is ready, we'll do your final fitting after we find something for Miss Raven."

She turned to Raven. "Now my dear, I need you to remove that cape and the leotard you're wearing."

Raven complied and the woman quickly took her measurements.

"Do you have suitable undergarments to wear with the gown?" She asked the sorceress.

"She does not; we will need to purchase those as well." Starfire replied.

"We can take care of that … I have a dress in mind that I think will be perfect for you Miss Raven, I'll be right back."

As soon as Caroline left the room Raven turned to Starfire and frowned. "What the hell is wrong with my underwear?"

"There is nothing wrong with it; it is merely incompatible with a fine evening gown. The fabric in both your panties and bra is too thick. And all of your bras have shoulder straps. They simply will not do."

Caroline quickly returned with a shimmering blue strapless evening gown.

"Try this one on, dear."

With Starfire's help Raven slipped it on. Starfire zipped her up and Raven stared mesmerized into the multiple mirrors which gave a nearly 360 degree view.

"Wow." Was the only word that came out of her gray lips.

Starfire nodded approvingly. "Miss Caroline, you have as some would say, "the eye". This is the perfect dress for Raven."

"Normally, I would have her try on more dresses, but being that we are pressed for time, I think that won't be necessary." Caroline replied

Raven ran her hands along the silky dress. "It fits so well … like a glove."

"Actually, it still needs adjusting, please stand still." She instructed her.

Caroline quickly went around Raven, tugging at the dress and inserting pins left and right. She continued to circle her, like a moon orbiting a planet, scrutinizing her carefully with a critical eye. Two pins later and she was done.

"You can take it off now, and I'll run it over to our seamstress." She handed a package with a bra and panties to Starfire. "And have her put these on for the final fitting."

As Raven removed the dress, she saw the price tag: $4300.

Caroline quickly vanished and Starfire handed the now unwrapped undergarments to Raven, who quickly put them on. The bra was strapless too. The panties were lacy and very shear, they would be invisible under the dress.

"I guess I don't have any of these in my wardrobe … Starfire … that dress costs over four thousand dollars. I can't afford that."

The princess grinned. "I will use the Titans credit card to pay for it."

"The team credit card? I thought that was only to be used on official team business. Won't Nightwng get the bill? How will he pay for it."

"I am uncertain of the details, I only know that he has what he calls the 'slush fund', that is a strange name, is it not? He says that Alfred sends him money every month and places it in the slush fund."

"OK, so now I'm debt to Nightwing … great."

Starfire smiled. "Do not worry my friend; I will make sure that he will cover the bill."

"Won't he get angry with you?"

"He already is."

"What? This is the first I've heard about this. Why is he angry?"

"I have done the ditching of him for the Ball, so that I may spend it with you."

"Starfire, you don't have to do this."

"Yes, I must … your relationship with Changeling is in great peril."

"Starfire, go to the Ball with your boyfriend, I'll be fine."

"No, you will not be fine. I will be your 'wing woman'. But there is something that you must do before the ball."

"And what is that?"

Starfire shuffled nervously on her feet. "Now that you will have the beautiful gown, you should contact Garfield and ask him to be your date tonight."

Raven gave Starfire a shocked look. "Are you crazy? I can't do that, not after I dared him to find a date, especially after he did find one. That would be admitting defeat."

Starfire frowned, her lips curled in anger.

"You are an idiot, Raven. You are going to stand by and do nothing while your boyfriend spends the evening at our most important event in the company of another woman?"

"First of all, he is not my boyfriend …"

"Be silent!" Starfire shouted at her. "I do not understand why you play this cruel game with your beloved, but if you continue with this nonsense you will lose him."

Raven scowled at Starfire. "What right do you have to judge me? And speaking of games, I recall two years ago that you and Nightwing had a big fight and broke up. After you played hard to get, he went back to Gotham on a "temporary" assignment and wound up in Batgirl's bed. I'm surprised that you took him back, after all the big speeches you made when you found out that he cheated on you. So don't lecture me about playing games, Princess, you might not like the arrangement I have with Gar, but it works for us, so shut it!"

Starfire turned away from Raven, a tear dripping down her face.

"Yes, I know, I made a terrible mistake in driving Nightwing away from me and that I did it out of pride. Do you think that it was easy to reconcile with him? Do you think I endured no pain when I learned that my beloved was in another woman's bed?"

Raven expression changed. "Starfire, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." She replied in a contrite voice. "But you have to respect how Gar and I interact … I'm serious when I say this, Starfire, but this arrangement works for us."

"If it works so well, Raven … why will he be with another woman tonight and not with you?"

Raven laughed, though there was a hint of uncertainty in it. "It's just a stupid date. He's posturing, trying to show me that he can find someone else. And I know he can … but it's no big deal. He's not going to sleep with her, for Azar's sake. After she leaves tonight I'll take him back to my room and after I blow his mind with a roll in the hay everything will be fine … you really worry too much, Starfire. It doesn't matter who he flirts with, because at the end of the day he'll be in my bed and not hers."

Starfire lowered her head and replied sotto voce. "I hope that you are right, my friend."

_**-( scene break )-**_

"Are you ready, Starfire? The Ball began half an hour ago."

"We are late on purpose, we wish to make the impression, not only on our boyfriends, but on everyone present."

Raven sighed. "OK … why?"

"Because if we flaunt the goods and others notice, so will our boyfriends."

Raven turned to look at herself in the full body length mirror in Starfire's room, where the two lady Titans convened to get ready for the party. She almost didn't recognize the woman who was staring back at her in the reflection. She couldn't believe that she looked so stunning.

"Oh, he's so gonna eat his heart out. He's gonna ditch whoever he's with as soon as he sees me … I almost feel sorry for her already."

"And what if he does not do the ditching? What if he takes her to his room?"

"Not. Going. To. Happen. Mark my words Starfire. He'll be putty in my hands, curled around my pinkie."

Starfire finished applying her lipstick and gave herself a final inspection. "I am ready, let us now go dazzle our friends and amaze our boyfriends."

"He's not my …"

"Yes, I know. He is your lover who is not your boyfriend and who will be with another woman tonight."

The two dolled up Titans made their way to the common and the sliding doors parted, revealing their striking figures. A few men stopped to look, at least until their own dates elbowed them, upon which they stopped gawking at the new arrivals and began the damage control with their dates. Raven strained her eyes as she scanned the room.

"Where is he, he can't be that hard to find? He's freaking green." Raven muttered to herself.

"He is over there, in the far corner by the window." Starfire remarked.

Raven looked again and saw his green head bobbing into and out of view in the crowded room. She strained to see if she could see his date, but it was impossible from their vantage point.

"I guess we should go over there and say hi, come on Starfire, I want you to see the look on his face when he sees me."

They walked down the short stairs into the common room. At the bottom of the stairs they encountered a very handsome man with long dark hair. He was wearing a tuxedo, as were most of the men.

"Raven, Starfire, you ladies look stunning." Aqualad greeted them. "Can I get you a drink?" He said as motioned to the bar.

Raven felt her cheeks suddenly warm. Eight years later and she'd still get all girly whenever Aqualad was around, like if she was a fangirl or a bobbysoxer. He was just so damn handsome and suave. And sexy, as far as she was concerned he was the sexiest man in the room, if not the whole damn world.

"Maybe later … say, are you alone? Don't you have a date?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Nope, something came up and she cancelled on me at the last minute, I almost didn't come, though I'm now glad that I did. Will you ladies save a dance for me?"

"I'd love to." Raven's voice squeaked as she continued blush under her makeup. Starfire gently nudged her in the ribs. "I'll … uh … see you around, Garth."

Starfire grabbed her by the elbow and pried her away from the Atlantean. "Have you forgotten why you are here?"

Raven smirked maliciously. "If Gar can flirt, so can I."

The two ladies continued to work their way through the crowd, exchanging greetings and accepting complements for their stunning attire. Raven noticed that most of the other lady Titans were wearing off the rack dresses. Apparently not everyone had access to Nightwing's slush fund.

After about 15 minutes of mingling they reached their destination and there he was, with his back to them. They couldn't see her face and they continued to stealthily approach. As they drew near he pulled her into a kiss. All they could see was her long blond hair. Her arms were wrapped around him and as they continued to kiss they strayed downward, until her hands found his butt, which they caressed sensuously while the kissing continued. Starfire turned to Raven, who now had a huge frown on her face.

Suddenly, they stopped kissing and the girl pulled back, finally revealing her face. She turned towards Raven and smiled. Raven furrowed her brow as she didn't recognize her lover's date. Garfield grinned victoriously. Whoever his mystery date was, she was a knockout.

"Star, Raven … I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine, from when I lived in Los Angeles."

Raven slowly turned to face him. "When did you live in Los Angeles?"

Gar chuckled as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Hehe, I guess I never told you about the year I was on a TV show."

"You … the green imp, you were on a TV show."

The blond extended her hand to Raven. "Gar starred as Ensign Tork on a sci fi show called Space Trek. He was my boyfriend back then, until he decided to get back into the super hero biz. My name's Jill, Jillian Jackson."

Raven stared incredulously at her beau. "You had a girlfriend before me?"

Jill gave Raven a puzzled look. "I thought you guys were just … you know … friends with benefits."

"HE'S MY BOYFRIEND, YOU BLOND BIMBO!"

In a deadpan voice the changeling remarked: "Since when am I your boyfriend?"

Raven snarled at him. "Don't get smart with me, it doesn't suit you."

He nodded his head. "That's right; I keep forgetting" He smacked his forehead. "You're the smart one and I'm the stupid one."

The crowd around them began to laugh. The changeling raised his hand.

"OK listen up … how many of you have ever heard Raven swear that I'm not her boyfriend?"

A forest of arms popped up.

"OK, other than right now, who's ever heard Raven say that we're a couple?"

Every arm dropped. "I rest my case … I'm not your boyfriend."

Raven crossed her arms and still frowning she stepped in front of him.

"Very clever, Gar. I have to congratulate you, you outwitted me. You proved that we are a couple. And Miss Jackson, wipe that stupid grin off your face. I now know that this date you're having is fake. Gar is just doing this to make a point."

"Excuse me? If I proved anything, it's that we aren't a couple." He smiled as he wrapped an arm around Jill's exposed shoulder. Starfire quietly stepped away, fighting back the tears that were trying to escape from her eyes.

"Not a couple!?" Raven shrieked. "What the hell are you talking about? You've been sleeping in my bed for five years!"

"And I recall you saying many times that doesn't prove that we're a couple."

Raven got face to face with him and whispered into his ear. "OK, I'm eating humble pie in front of all our friends … you win. Now will you please stop humiliating me in front of everyone?"

"What do you want me to do?" He whispered back.

"You ditch Jill and we publicly announce that we are couple, right now."

"Sounds good, but it will have to wait until tomorrow."

"What?" She hissed at him. "Why?"

"Jill is my date and a good friend, and a gentleman never ditches his date for another woman."

Raven balled her fists.

"I'm not 'another woman' … I'm practically your wife." She whispered back angrily.

"My wife? Did I just hear a marriage proposal?"

Raven exploded and shrieking she blasted him with her dark energy. The changeling crashed into a wall and slumped to the ground.

"Screw you, Gar! Go screw yourself!" Raven screamed. She turned around and the crowd quickly parted, leaving her a clear path to the door. She stomped out of the room, fighting back the tears.

Cyborg watched her leave, scratching his chin, mumbling to himself "Well played B, though maybe you overdid that last part."

The crowd's attention reverted to the changeling. No one noticed that Aqualad followed Raven out the door. Jill ran to his side.

"Gar, are you OK?" She asked. "Did that witch hurt you?"

"Oww!" He groaned. "I'll live … I think I went too far. I need to go apologize to her."

Jill helped him to his feet. "Why? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I think she disagrees with you."

Jill pecked him on the lips. "Gar, she might not appreciate you or respect you … but I do."

"What are you saying?"

"Gar … ditch her. You're too good for her."

"And what do I do after that?"

"You come home with me and we pick up where we left off."

"Jill … are you saying that you want us to get back together?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, except this time we're adults Gar, and we'll have an adult relationship. And unlike that emotionally constipated witch, I'm not ashamed of you. In fact, I'll shout from the rooftops that you're my boyfriend and my lover."

"You're serious?"

"Damn right I am."

The hired DJ was sitting nervously at his station and Cyborg nodded at him. Even though it was early in the party, he started off with a slow dance. The choice was a wise one as the guests began to dance and the tension was quickly forgotten. Jill took the changeling's hand and they began to dance. After slow dancing for a few minutes she whispered into his ear.

"So, are we official?"

The Changeling stared into Jill's blue eyes. He knew she was telling him the truth. Back in LA when all the other girls steered clear of him, Jill stood proudly at his side. She didn't care that he was green, had pointy ears and fangs. Suddenly he wondered why he didn't get back in touch with her years ago.

"We are, but I need to officially break up with Raven first … I'll do that tomorrow. She'll probably think that I'm coming back to apologize to her."

Jill pressed her lips to his. "Are you sure you won't come home with me tonight?"

He shook his head. "I know she doesn't deserve the courtesy, but right now she's still my girlfriend and I never cheat. Once I drop the bomb on her … I'm all yours."

_**-( scene break )-**_

For those who remember the original story, I got rid of Terra as BB's date and used Jill instead. It's always tempting to use Terra in a love triangle, but it has been overused in fanfiction and I am as guilty as anyone of overusing the blond geomancer.

And fear not, the next chapter for 8 Years Later is in progress.

And now for the mailbag

Shadico – Don't worry, this story will be shorter and more concise that the original.

krostovikraven1 – Yes, this time I will finish it.

titanfan45 – 8 Years is still alive and kicking. I should have an update ready soon.

Radmila Raznatov – I'm glad you're back.

Bizarrecollector - That was a very good guess. This story won't be as wil and unpredictable as the original.

bigC94 – BB and Raven and going to hit some major turbulence

LurkingShadowWillow - Raven's "behavior" is going to be more subtle this time around. The plot should be better.

greenhatred77 – Fear not, 8 Years will not be neglected.

Dragonkyng – Hang around and you will find out.


	3. The Changeling's Choice

Raven bolted down the hallway, no longer fighting back the tears which were now a veritable deluge. She reached the elevator but instead of summoning the lift she fell to her knees and sobbed.

"Gar … you asshole. I … hate you." She continued to cry.

She began to take deep breaths in an attempt to regain control of her emotions.

"That bastard … I was gonna do what he wanted … why did he have to humiliate me in front of everybody?" She muttered between deep breaths. She was so focused that she almost didn't hear the footsteps approaching. She might have been distraught but she was still a Titan, training nearly every day under Nightwing's watchful eye. In a single swift move she rose to her feet and turned around, balls of dark energy forming around her fists.

"Leave me alone, you piece of shit!"

Aqualad raised his hands in a submissive gesture.

"Whoa! I've been called lots of things, but that's a new one for me."

"Aqualad … I'm sorry … I thought you were someone else." She apologized in a weak, trailing off voice. She lowered her arms and the dark spheres faded away."

"You mean Changeling, right?"

She nodded as she wiped away her tears.

"Raven, are you OK?"

"Do I look like I'm OK?"

"No, you don't. That was pretty harsh, the way he treated you."

She sighed. "I'm sure that a lot of people in that room thought I had it coming ... and you know what? Maybe I did."

He took her hand and shook his head. "No, you didn't have that coming. He went out of his way to humiliate you. And what the hell was he doing with that blond anyway? I thought he was your boyfriend."

Her body shook as she fought back the urge to cry. "She's an old flame of his. He obviously likes her more than me." Her voice trembled.

"If he does, then he's an idiot."

She gave the Atlantean a weak smile. "Thanks." She sniffled.

He extended his hand to her and she accepted it. He helped her to stand.

"If you want to go back, I'll go with you." He offered.

She shook her head. "Thanks, but no, I don't want to face them right now. Way too awkward."

He nodded. "I understand, you need to be alone." He remarked as he pressed the summoning button for the lift. "If it's any consolation, something like that happened to me once."

"Really?" She asked, the disbelief evident in her tone.

"Yeah, but you probably don't want to hear about that."

"Actually … I do … we could go talk in my room."

"Are you sure? I know that you like to meditate when you're unsettled. We could talk about it some other time."

Raven shook her head. "Actually, talking with you now would be … nice."

Raven led Aqualad to her room. After she opened the door he peered cautiously into its interior before following her in. She gestured with her hand and two dozen candles lit up. She sat down on the edge of her bed and motioned him to join her, which he did.

"Your room is really cozy."

"Most people think it's creepy, like me."

"Only those unfamiliar with magic. Did I tell you that Tula is also a sorceress?"

"Tula?"

He chuckled half heartedly. "Sorry, Tula is my ex."

"Oh … I see … duh, that was obvious." She reprimanded herself.

"Don't beat yourself up; you've already had a bad day."

"I suppose you're right … so … what happened with Tula? What ia she like?"

Aqualad heaved a heavy sigh.

"Tula is incredible. She's beautiful, sexy, smart, strong and very brave. Now that I think of it, she's a lot like you, if you don't mind the comparison."

Raven smiled upon hearing his words. "No, I don't mind at all … please … continue."

He nodded his head. "Sure, anyway … we've known each other since we were kids. We were inseparable; we went to school together, played together, you know the drill. We became a couple just before I met you, you remember, when we fought Trident?"

"I could never forget the day I met you." She gushed.

He smiled sheepishly. "Me too … so anyway, things went great for us. That is, until Bumblebee invited us to join Titans East. Tula wasn't interested, but Aquaman told me to go ahead and join, that it would be good for fostering Atlantis/surface relations. Ever since he joined the Justice League that's been a big deal for him."

"So you joined Titans East. Is that when she dumped you?"

He shook his head. "No … though I wish it had been then, it would have been easier. We continued a long distance relationship. I'd visit Atlantis once a month, if just for a day. We'd spend time together, you know … doing couple stuff."

"Were you … you know … physically intimate with her?"

He blushed at her question. She quickly backpedaled. "Sorry, that's really personal."

"It's OK … we were intimate … Tula was an incredible lover … she was intoxicating … which is what made her betrayal so painful."

"Betrayal?" Raven asked wide eyed.

"Yeah … betrayal … in that way she's not like you … anyway, Aquaman held a banquet in honor of a friend of mine … his name is Kaldur'ahm. We were best friends. So, since I was with Titans East, Aquaman granted Kaldur the title of Aqualad … so there were now two Aqualads, one in Steele City and one in Atlantis. It was at that banquet that Tula announced that she was with Kaldur."

"She dumped you in front of everyone." Raven said breathlessly.

"It's worse … I later found out that she was cheating on me for months before she dumped me. Kaldur'ahm later apologized to me; he claimed he didn't know that we were still together."

"And he stayed with her, knowing that she cheated on you?"

He sighed again. "Like I mentioned before, she is intoxicating. I've wondered if she used spells on us."

"Garth, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you ever tell us?"

"Because I was embarrassed … anyway … I'm glad it's over and I've put it behind me. But you know what I would really like Raven … I'd like to know someone like you."

Raven cupped his face with her palm. "You do know someone like me."

They gazed into each other's eyes and time seemed to come to a halt.

"Raven, are you sure …"

He couldn't finish his sentence as she moved her hand behind his head and pulled him into a kiss.

Unseen to the Atlantean, Nevermore erupted into an explosion of joy. Raven couldn't believe what she had done. She was kissing her unobtainable crush! Suddenly aware of what she had just done, she released him and pulled away.

"I'm sorry Garth, that was very inconsiderate of me."

"No … don't apologize … that was very nice."

Feeling suddenly emboldened, Raven hopped onto his lap and they resumed their make out session. Raven's heart was pounding from the thrill. She was kissing Aqualad. Their tongues played with each other and their hands began to wander, their touch becoming more and more intimate. Her heart was pounding when he suddenly stopped.

"Garth, what's wrong?" She asked breathlessly. "Is it something I did?"

"No … I was just wondering … you know … about Changeling."

Raven stared into his eyes. "You heard what he said, we're not a couple."

"I'm not sure he really meant that." He replied. "I think he was just angry with you."

"I think he did mean it… Garth … have you had other lovers since Tula?"

He gulped. "A few, but it's been a long time."

Raven stared into his dark eyes, pulling him into her own. They were the most intense eyes he had ever seen, he felt lost in their indigo color. They were mesmerizing.

"Garth, I've been in love with you since the day I met you."

"Raven, I'd be lying if I said I don't find you unbelievably attractive."

"I … I want us to be more than just friends." She stammered.

"Me too … so … what do we do next?"

"I don't know, why don't we just see what happens?"

"What would you like to happen?" he asked.

Before she could answer there was a loud knock on the door.

"Whoever it is … go … away." She mumbled through clenched teeth.

There was another knock. "It's me … Nightwing … are you OK?"

"Maybe you should answer the door." Aqualad remarked. Raven sighed – the magic was gone.

She flicked her wrist and the door slipped open. Grayson took in the scene and gave Aqualad a harsh look.

"I was just leaving." The Atlantean announced. As he walked past Nightwing he stopped and whispered. "Nothing happened, in case you're wondering."

"Good thing. If I found out that you took advantage of her I would have been really pissed." He whispered back.

"She's a big girl; she can make her own decisions."

Nightwing narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, you're such a Knight in shining armor …"

"Oh c'mon, maybe this is just what she needs."

"Garth, I expect you to be gone by the time I'm done talking with her."

"Since when are you the over protective big brother."

"You heard me."

"Fine … don't get your Nomex in a knot, I'm on my way out."

Garth looked back at Raven, who was sitting on the edge of her bed, before turning and leaving without saying goodbye. The door slid shut and Grayson sat down next to Raven.

"What Gar did to you, that was cruel."

"Well, I guess I got a taste of my own medicine."

"No, you didn't … he was way out of line. I'll talk with him tomorrow."

"No … don't. It's my mess, I'll clean it up."

"OK, fair enough, that's the mature thing to do … so … do you want to go back to the Ball?"

"No … I'm too embarrassed, I acted like an idiot. I can't believe that I got so jealous."

"I don't blame you … your boyfriend's old flame comes back out of the blue and he takes her to the Ball."

"I challenged him."

"He went out of his way to make a fool out of you."

"And I finished the job for him. I zapped him, hard … Is he OK? I didn't even stop to look."

"He's fine … last I saw he had Jillian all over him. That girl knows how to make a fuss over a guy."

Raven cradled her head in her arms. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're OK, there's nothing wrong with you."

"Thanks, Dick, but that is a load of BS and you know it."

"You're being unfair with yourself."

"Am I? Think about it. Gar's been my boyfriend for five years. We've been sleeping together during that time. So what do I do? I challenge him to find a date for the Ball … and he does. And not just a date, mind you, he digs up a smoking hot old girlfriend. So what do I do? I physically attack him. So now he's in her arms and they're probably gonna sleep together tonight …"

"That's not going to happen, and you know it. All that's going to happen is that he'll get cocky and you'll have to admit he was right, that he could get a date."

"You'll have to forgive me, Dick, but where is the silver lining in all this?"

He chuckled lightly. "You know what? You need a change of scenery. Change into your costume and meet me on the roof."

"The roof? What for?"

"We're going on patrol tonight, you and I. Nothing better to take your mind off your troubles than kicking some bad guy butt."

Raven smiled. "I so hope we run into Dr. Light or Control Freak."

_**-( scene break )-**_

"I can't believe you're being so considerate of her."

"It's who I am Jill."

"Do we have to stay here?"

"No, we don't. I know of a nice, quiet restaurant, not too far from here. We can get some dinner and talk for a while, just the two of us."

The couple quietly slipped out of the Tower, leaving in Jill's rental car. As they drove along, Jill cleared her throat.

"You should go back to the Doom Patrol."

"Whoa! Where did that come from? I mean, I've been a Titan for a long time. Why should I leave?"

Jill smiled. "Well, for starters, because I live in New York. If we're gonna live together we have to pick someplace and the Doom Patrol is HQ'd on Long Island."

"But what about the Titans? You could move to Jump."

"I have a good job in Manhattan. Jump City is a nice place, but I'd never be able to replace my job out here, not even close."

Gar grinned. "Rita's behind this, isn't she?"

Jill smiled sheepishly. "Yeah … she is. You know that she hates Raven's guts."

"Yeah, I know, she's been on my case about her for years. She'd love nothing more than to see me break up with Raven."

"She's not the only one, lover boy. But Gar, you gotta admit, if she's around she's gonna make things complicated. She'll do everything she can to sabotage our relationship and win you back."

"Raven? In case you've forgotten, she hates my guts. You saw how she threw me against the wall."

"If you're saying that she's dysfunctional, then yeah, I agree 100%. But she doesn't hate you Gar. You saw how jealous and territorial she got when she saw you with me. She's serious about you. It's kind of a shame that she's so messed up, you guys could have had something good … but I gotta ask you something. Why the hell did you stick with her for five long years?"

The changeling's ears drooped.

"I'm ashamed to admit, but …"

"It was the sex, wasn't it?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, yeah. She was always in the mood for it, she never had 'a headache', if you know what I mean and she was pretty good in bed too."

Jill smiled. "Gar, after our first night together, I promise you won't even remember her name."

"That's a big promise."

"Which is why I want you to come back with me to New York. Steve and Rita won't even ask that you live in the manor, they're fine with you living with me."

"I don't know … it's such a big step."

"It is, but it's also the right one to make. I'm serious Gar, you need to leave her behind; you gotta close the door on that part of your life. If you don't, she's always gonna be there, lurking in the background. Once she realizes that she's lost you, she's gonna change her tune, and fast. Suddenly she'll be nice and sweet, and she'll apologize to you and promise you the world if you come back to her."

"I hate to say this, Jill, but I think you're right. But this is taking it to a whole new level. Tomorrow I won't just be dumping Raven; I'll be dumping the whole team. Chrome Dome isn't gonna be happy and Star will probably turn on the waterworks."

"What about Nightwing?"

"Screw him, I never liked the guy, he's always been a secretive, stuck up prick. I can't wait to to see his face when I announce I'm going back to the Doom Patrol."

Jill's face brightened. "So, you are coming back to New York?"

The changeling grinned as Jill pulled the car into the restaurant's parking lot.

"You'd better believe it."

_**-( scene break )-**_

As you can see, things are already progressing differently. Nightwing stopped Fish-lips before he deflowered Raven, not that Gar would care, because he's already decided to dump her for Jillian. We have a train wreck in the works, just a different one this time. There are some elements I'm going to recycle from the old story, especially slutty Rita (admit it, you guys loved slutty Rita the first time)

And now, it's mailbag time!

Ab3lard00 - Gracias, la historia original fue demasiado largo y complejo. Espero que esta version quede mejor.

The Cretin – Mistakes are going to be made. Will they be showstoppers? Time will tell.

Bizarrecollector – Thanks, I want this version to be VERY different from the original.

Avandra the Mary Sue Slayer - You'll have to wait to find out!

Thowell3 - Nope, not this time.

krostovikraven1 – She does, poor Raven doesn't even know that she already lost.

Hairul The Nightrage Beast – He's taking a big step.

TheThoughtsofKarasu – The fishstick was and still is a jerk. Like the first time, all he wanted was to get Raven into bed.

js12601 – Cyborg was trying a little too hard to be a "bro" instead of a friend.

Katie TDC – I will warn you, this story is going to be an emotional roller coaster.

Anoymous136 - They don't. Raven is too proud and BB is too pig headed.

Ravenandthefire - He was trying to get even with her, which is always a bad idea. But she did bring it upon herself. She should never have challenged him to find a date for the Ball. Her pride did her in.

Maddielove95 – The original was indeed messy, which is why I pulled the plug on it, even though it had over 900 reviews.

titanfan45 – The sad thing is that couples play games with each other all the time. Hang in there, the ride will get bumpy.

Dragonkyng – Well, there was no cheat with the fish stick, so everything is ok … right?


	4. Benefits

A nervous burglar was stuffing a leather satchel as fast as he could, indiscriminately grabbing jewelry from a shattered case while his partner was busy tying up and gagging the jewelry store owner. He noticed that his partner in crime was taking his sweet old time.

"C'mon Manny! Hurry up! It's only a matter of time before the Titans show up."

Manny grinned as calmly began to stuff his own satchel, picking through the spoils of their burglary and tossing aside what he didn't like.

"Don't you read the papers, Harry? They're having a big shindig in their Tower tonight. Black tie affair, which means they ain't coming. They're having their party, so we can have ours without worrying about them showin' up. We're like two kids in a candy store."

As Manny gave his little speech a portal opened in the floor and a dark, hooded figure rose from it, stretching its arms out at its sides, and was shrouded in a cape.

"Think again." A gravelly, female voice warned them.

"No way! You're supposed to be at that party." Manny shrieked.

Nightwing crashed through the storefront window, knocking Harry over after crashing into his back feet first.

"You're going to jail." Nightwing scolded Manny while Raven untied the shopkeeper. Police sirens could be heard approaching.

"You're not supposed to be here!"

"We had a change in plans, loser." Raven responded as Nightwing cuffed the burglar just as the first squad car arrived. Two officers hurried into the store and took over for the Titans.

Raven turned to Nightwing. "This is seventh burglary we've stopped tonight, does this happen every time we have a party?"

"Pretty much." Nightwing replied. "Which is why I thought this would be good therapy. So, how are you feeling?"

Raven looked at the clock in the store. It was almost 1 AM.

"I'm hungry … I didn't get a chance to eat anything at the party."

"Me too. There's an all night Chinese takeout joint not too far from here. You game?"

"Right now I'm so hungry that anything sounds good." She replied.

They quickly made their way to the all night kitchen. Nightwing ordered beef and broccoli while Raven ordered the Szechuan Chicken. While they were waiting she noticed there was no place to sit down to eat their food.

"I'm guessing you don't want to go home." Grayson remarked as he was handed a plastic bag with their dinner in it."

"I'm sure the Ball isn't over yet."

Nightwing paused as he thought about something. "I know a place we can go."

"Where is it?"

"Across the bay, over there. Can you teleport us there? It's on the fourth floor on the corner of Mason and Foothills Blvd."

"That shouldn't be too hard." She replied as she raised her arms. Within moments they were inside a clean but shabby apartment.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"This is my safe house."

"Your safe house?"

"Yeah, it's a place I can go to when I need to hide. I also come here when I need to be alone. You want something to drink?"

"What have you got?" She asked.

He opened a small fridge in the kitchen and frowned at its contents. "All I've got is beer."

"That'll be fine, but I want it in a glass. You do have clean glasses in your little bat cave, right?"

He opened a cupboard. "Very funny, of course I do." He grumbled as he poured her brew into a large green glass and set it before her. He joined her at the small table with a bottle of his own and using their chopsticks they began to eat their dinner straight out of the containers. They ate quietly, until Raven broke the silence.

"I understand that things aren't going well between you and Starfire."

"That's an understatement."

"So, spill the beans. It's not like you don't know what my problems are." She replied between bites of food.

"Fair's fair I guess … Star has decided that we shouldn't have sex anymore."

"Really, just like that? Did she say why?"

"Yeah, just like that, out of the blue. And no, she didn't say why. When I pressed the question she became evasive. I can't help but feel that I did something wrong. Do you have any idea of what I did?"

She shook her head. "I haven't got a clue, but I do know that she's pissed with you."

"How so?"

"She charged my dress for the Ball on your credit card, and it wasn't cheap, it was four grand. I'm sorry about that, Dick, I'll pay you back … I don't know how … but I will."

"Forget it; the bill goes straight to Alfred. He'll pay it off, no questions asked." He replied as he chuckled. "You know, it's funny, you're the only member of the team who knows my secret identity."

Raven recalled the time she entered his mind, when he was hallucinating about a non-existent Slade. From that that point on there were no secrets between them.

"Star doesn't know who you really are?"

"No, she doesn't."

"Has she ever asked you to remove your mask?"

"All the time."

"So you're saying that when you have sex with her, you wear that stupid mask?"

"That's right."

"That's ridiculous, she's seen your penis, but she's never seen your eyes?"

"Yup, guilty as charged."

"No wonder she doesn't want to have sex with you anymore." Raven continued eating. "Then again, you're not the only who isn't getting laid tonight. My boyfriend probably has a big smile on his face right now, while he's humping that bitch."

"Raven, why do you keep saying that?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, I do."

Raven put her food container down. "Why do you think I treat him like crap?"

"That's a question Star, Cy and I have been wondering about for a long time. Why do you do that?"

"It's simple, when you think about it."

"Oh Raven, you don't really think you aren't good enough for him?"

"Winner, winner, chicken dinner." She replied.

"But why? How could you not be good enough for him?"

"In case you didn't get the memo, I'm a nasty, undesirable witch. He's only stuck around with me for the sex, and now I've been replaced."

"That's not true."

"Dick, let's be honest, other than Gar, no one had ever shown any real interest in me. I'm not exactly a good catch."

"Now you're selling yourself short."

"Am I? Dick, do you find me attractive?"

Nightwing tensed up upon hearing the unexpected question.

"Raven … I've … I've never thought of you … or us … that way."

"I'm not your sister, so don't give me that BS."

Grayson sighed in defeat.

"Ok, fine, I have … thought of you that way."

"You have? When?"

"When we first met, I thought you looked kind of hot in your leotard and cape … you have nice legs."

Raven paused and pursed her lips. Dick could tell that she was having an inner struggle. Finally she spoke.

"Good … because I need a favor."

"A favor? Well, we are friends after all, so what do you need from me?"

"I need you to make love with me."

Grayson nearly choked on his food.

"You want sex? Raven, that's more than just a favor."

"I understand, but I need to know what it's like to be with another man besides Gar. I need to know that I am desirable, so if he doesn't come back, I know I can move forward."

Grayson rubbed his forehead, still clearly in dismay. "Are you sure about this? I mean, this is a really big deal. I've only ever had sex with Star before."

"Don't worry, Starfire, or whoever you end up with, will never know… no one will, especially not Gar. I swear to keep this a secret. But you have to understand, this is important to me. If I know that I'm attractive, that I have the goods, it will redefine my relationship with him."

"Raven, this isn't necessary, take my word for it, you are desirable and attractive."

"No, you don't know that. And I don't know that. I've had a single partner for five years, and the day an old flame comes back he runs off with her."

"Maybe you need to stop treating him like crap."

"And I will once I know I'm good enough for him. I need to know if I can make you shout out my name while we do it. I want to see you turn into a quivering mass of flesh, unable to stand up after we're done."

"Raven … why me?"

"I've had a small crush on you since I met you. And I know I can count on you and trust you. You stopped me from making a mistake with Aqualad."

"And doing it with me isn't a mistake?"

"No. it's different. You and I are already intellectually intimate; I've been in your mind, I know all your secrets. As you've said in the past, we have a special bond. You came looking for me when I was lost in Trigon's pit. If there is anyone I can share myself with like that, other than Gar … it's you."

"But Raven, I have a girlfriend …"

"Exactly, and I have a boyfriend. If I can get you to beg me for more, then I know I have what it takes. And I'll take back what's mine from that blond bitch."

Nightwing sighed. "So you want a "friends with benefits" screw? No romance, no tenderness, just heavy breathing and orgasms?"

"I do expect you to please me." She replied.

Raven leaned forward and peeled his mask off his face. "And I want to see your eyes while we have sex. You know that you have beautiful eyes, they're the window into your soul."

Grayson shook his head in dismay.

"I think this is a really bad idea … but I'll do it. I just hope this isn't something we'll regret later."

_An hour later …_

Grayson was laying on his back, panting, the bed clothes for his double bed were strewn on the floor. Curled up next to him, her head resting on his shoulder and just as naked as we was, was Raven.

"Raven … that was incredible. You're a love goddess!"

She kissed him on the lips. "I also enjoyed it. You're a pretty good lover too; you know how to touch a woman."

"I felt like I was electrified … Raven … was this different for you?"

She smiled and kissed him again. "I've never experienced such an intense orgasm. I was literally shaking. You were very passionate, if I didn't know better, I'd say that you have feelings for me."

He frowned at her. "You know that I do … Raven … this wasn't a one night stand."

"Uh … yes it was, that was the deal, remember?"

"I want to change the deal."

"You have a girlfriend."

"I know that I do. But Star never satisfied the way you did."

"So, you're saying that you want more?"

"Raven, I took my mask off. I have never been more intimate with anyone … I shouted your name. I've never experienced something like this before. Of course I want more."

"And what about Starfire?"

"I … I don't know."

"Dick, I will always cherish this night we shared together, it was truly exquisite. But now we need to go back to our significant others. You need to work things out with her and I need to do the same with Gar. You know that you don't love me, not the way you love her. I know you can work your problems out with Star. And some friendly advice … lose the mask. I couldn't have done it with you if I only knew you as Nightwing, it would have been so impersonal. Really Dick, banging your girl while wearing that mask, that's a huge turn off. If you want her to want you, she needs to know who you really are."

"But if I reveal my true identity to her …"

"Bruce can suck it; you have a right to a life of your own. Kori is your soul mate, she has a right to know."

"Does she have a right to know about us?" He frowned.

"Don't be stupid, she'll be hurt if she finds out ... look, we both learned something really important tonight. I learned that I can enjoy sex with a friend and that I really am damn good at it, so much so that you're willing to dump your girlfriend for me. You learned that you can't have intimacy while concealing your identity from your lover. And right now you are far more intimate with me than you've ever been with her. You need to fix that."

"So what happens to us?"

Raven sat up in the bed. "We go back to our platonic friendship. This night never happened."

"I'm not sure I can do that, Raven. I'll never be able to forget what we just shared. This was a game changer for me."

Raven stood up. "You don't have any other choice. I'm sorry if you feel this way, Dick, but it's Gar who I want, not you. I'm sorry, but we won't be doing this again, ever."

"This sucks." He complained.

"We should shower before heading home. Gar has a sensitive nose, he'll smell you scent on me. And Starfire, her race is descended from felines; she'll smell my scent on you too."

"You had this all figured out."

"No, I didn't. When you first suggested we go on a patrol this had yet to cross my mind."

Without saying another word, Raven stepped into his bathroom and the sound of the shower began. Nightwing sat up in the bed and sighed. Raven was right, that night and everything associated with it, was being washed down the drain.

Deep down inside he knew she was right, but he still wasn't happy about it.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Raven and Nightwing phased into the hallway on the habitat level in the Tower. The Ball was long since concluded and the Tower was silent.

"Goodnight Dick and thanks. You have no idea how much you've helped me."

"It's what platonic friends are for." He replied in a dejected voice.

"Just go to her and take the mask off … everything will be fine, you'll see. And forget about tonight … it never happened."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'll try … goodnight Raven."

The sorceress headed straight for her room and phased through the door. As expected, he wasn't there. Raven immediately stripped down and after liberally applying her signature lavender perfume she put on a fresh leotard. She examined herself and once she was convinced that she had eradicated all traces of Grayson from her body she phased through the wall that separated her room from the changeling's abode.

As expected, he was asleep in the lower bunk. She calmly disrobed and slipped into bed with him. He was only wearing a pair of boxers. She spooned him from behind and began to kiss his neck. He rustled as he woke up and slowly rolled over, until they were eye to eye.

"Raven? What are you doing here?"

"You weren't in our room."

"Yeah … well … that's how it works, right? We fight, you kick me out. So why are you here?"

"Well, I thought that some make up sex was in order, and then we could talk about what happened."

"Raven, we do need to talk, but we should skip the make up sex."

"What? You don't want to make love?"

He rubbed the back of his head and sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Raven … I'm going back to the Doom Patrol … I'm leaving the Titans."

"You're going back? But what about us? Why didn't you talk with me about this?"

"That's the thing Raven. You crossed the line tonight."

"I know, I physically hurt you, I'm so sorry. I promise that will never happen again."

"I've been thinking about us, lately, a lot and … I don't know how else to say this, Raven. There isn't an us anymore … I'm sorry."

Her eyes flared red. "You're dumping me for that bitch?"

"It's more than that Raven … we just don't work as a couple … other than sex, we don't do anything together … nothing. And … Raven … you have issues, big issues."

"And instead of working them out with me, you're running off with that trollop?"

"Raven, Jill and I go way back. But face it, we've been doing, well whatever it is we've been, for five years … and it just isn't working. We should have moved on a long time ago."

Tears began to well in her eyes. "You told me that you loved me."

"I still do, I'll always love you … but we're a really bad couple. You know it's true."

She choked back a sob. "I can change."

"Raven, I've been waiting five years for you to change. It isn't gonna happen, we both know that."

"So … that's it? You're just gonna dump me like that? The five years we spent together don't mean anything?"

"I never said that. Of course they mean a lot to me. You mean a lot to me."

"Then why give up?" She cried.

"Raven, we failed a long time ago. There's nothing left to give up … we've been living a lie."

She began to sob. "No, I won't accept that. That isn't true … we can fix our problems."

"Come on, what happened tonight, that was pretty bad. I went out of my way to humiliate you and you used your powers to hurt me. Where did you go afterwards anyway? No one saw you after you clobbered me."

Raven felt her heart freeze in her chest. "I … I went out on a patrol with Nightwing. It was his idea, he said that it would clear my head … Gar … can't we talk this over?"

"Why?"

She continued to sob. "Because I don't want to lose you … please don't leave me, I promise I'll change, I'll even see a therapist … I really will."

"You know, that's not a bad idea. You should see a therapist."

Her expression brightened.

"But I'm still breaking up with you."

"But Gar …"

"Raven, stop it! It's over. Just accept it and move on."

"Move on? Move on to what?"

"I don't know, but that's your problem not mine … Raven … you need to leave now."

"Gar … please … no."

"Fine, if you won't leave, then I will." He got up and began to get dressed.

"Where are you going?"

"To Jill's hotel room. I'll be back in the morning to tell the others and pack my stuff. Mento's sending a jet to pick us up in the afternoon."

"This … this isn't happening." She cried.

He opened a window and looked back at her.

"I'm sorry, the last thing I wanted to do was to hurt you. Good bye, Raven … have a good life."

He morphed into a bird and flew away. Weeping, and only clad in her underwear, she walked out of his room into the hallway.

"Raven, what happened?"

She looked up and saw Grayson, who had also changed in a fresh outfit and was on his way to Starfire's room. She ran to him and burying her face into his chest she began to sob. Starfire woke from the commotion and came out of her room, as did Cyborg.

"Raven, why are you weeping?"

The sorceress lifted her tear drenched face from Nightwing's chest.

"Gar broke up with me … he's left me for Jillian and he's going back to the Doom Patrol."

Raven reburied her face and resumed sobbing. Grayson stroked her head in a futile attempt to soothe her. Starfire crossed her arm and frowned, as tears dripped down her face. Cyborg looked stunned. Starfire approached her friend and gently wrapping her arms around her she drew her away from Nightwing. Grayson backed away and approached Cyborg, who looked very unhappy.

"What the hell is the grass stain thinking? He can't quit the team … Raven … where is he?"

"He's … on his way to see Jillian, he's going to spend the night with her."

With a grimace on his face, Cyborg headed off to the elevator

"I'll be back, I'm gonna open a can of whup-ass on him …"

"No, Cy, wait … we'll confront him tomorrow. We all need to calm down and let cooler heads prevail. I'm sure that this is all just a misunderstanding and we'll straighten it all out tomorrow." Nightwing announced.

"I will spend the night with Raven. Tonight she needs the company of a friend who is a girl and who cares about her."

Nightwing suppressed a wince, seeing his girlfriend consoling his secret one night stand. He suddenly felt sick and disgusted with himself.

"Thanks, Star … I think we should all try to get some sleep tonight … tomorrow's going to be … eventful."

They all adjourned for the night. Starfire took Raven to her room while Cyborg followed Nightwing.

"Yo, Nighty, you don't look so good. Is everything OK?"

"No, it's not."

"Say, where were you? You kind of just vanished."

"I was with Raven, I took her out on a patrol … you know, to get away from here."

"And you just got back?"

"We lost track of time, we busted a lot of perps."

"I see, well, I guess that seemed like a good idea at the time. Was she OK with you?"

"Yeah, we talked about what happened. She was going to apologize to him. I don't think he has any idea of how much he means to her."

"Well, I can't blame him; she does treat him like crap."

"You know what the sad thing is? She was ready to change … Cy we have to talk him out of this … he can't leave Raven or the team."

"Well, what happens between them is their business, I'm not their momma. In a way, I'm kinda glad he dumped her. But him quitting the team, that's my business, and I'm gonna read him the riot act about that."

They stopped in front of Nightwing's door. "See you in the morning, Cy."

"Later, dude."

As soon as the door slid shut behind him, Grayson sat down on a chair and rubbed his temples.

"How the hell am I gonna talk BB out of all this?"

_**-( scene break )-**_

Now you gotta admit, this is very different from the original. There was a cheat, and no one knows about it. Meanwhile, BB dumped Raven and he's going back to the Doom Patrol.

Also a note: Jillian Jackson is not an OC. She really was BB's first girlfriend in the old 1980's comics.

Now the mailbag. Reviews are increasing. Thanks. And to those of you who find this story cringe-worthy … that's the whole idea.

Anoymous136 – I hope I succeed.

Guest – Bone headed mistakes have been, and will continue to be made.

Avandra the Mary Sue Slayer - Raven thought she was being so clever, until she got blindsided.

The Cretin - There's going to be a heaping serving of regret coming up.

gabylokita41 – BB and Raven are both being stupid, except that Raven's mistake is a secret. A secret that can hurt a lot of people.

Wolf of IndigoRiver - It's kind of sad, now that Raven is ready to turn over a new leaf, the opportunity is lost.

Dragonkyng – OK, put the ax down … pretty please?

Bizarrecollector - You must have a crystal ball.

Anonymous - Yeah, they're both screwing up ... big time.

Thowell3 – Thanks for the remark about the original version, which got way too complex.

titanfan45 – The truth is that is wasn't just the sex that kept him around. He's just telling himself that so he won't feel guilty about dumping Raven for Jill.

bigC94 – It will get interesting. Much like in the original, BB's gonna learn some bad stuff about Jill. As for fish lips, Dick would never let him join the team.

St Rhon - Even though he's being a bit of a jerk, it's hard to not be on BB's side, especially after Raven's secret and unjustifiable cheat.

greenhatred77 – I also dislike Grayson, because in the comics he dumps Starfire's and breaks her heart. Then he has the gall to have casual sex with her.

Katie TDC – I take that as a complement!

LurkingShadowWillow - Oh yes, he's dating Star. And he wants Raven more than Star.

Shadico – Good! As I mentioned before, while this story is sordid, it isn't as bad as the original.


	5. Guilt

The sliding door closed with a dull thud, and Starfire carefully led Raven into her room. She stopped in front of her closet, from where she extracted a silk robe that Robin had bought for her in Tokyo. It was adorned with delicate Japanese artwork and Raven, who was still somewhat shell shocked, recognized it. It was one of Starfire's most prized possessions and to her dismay the Tamaranian helped her put it on.

"There, now Cyborg and Nightwing will not see you in your underwear, should we venture out of the room."

_Oh, Starfire, your boyfriend, he's seen me in my birthday suit._

"Thank you." Raven replied in a small and hushed voice.

Starfire stood before her and placed her hands on Raven's shoulders.

"Raven, how did this come to happen?"

The sorceress, who had been staring at the floor, looked up into her friends eyes.

_You have always been so kind to me, and how did I repay you?_

"I went to his room, to apologize."

"You are certain of this?"

"Yes … I know … I never apologize. But this time I did. I went to him first."

"He did not accept your apology?"

Raven sighed. "He did, sort of. But then …"

She paused as she fought back her tears.

"Then he did the dumping of you." Star finished the sentence for her in a sad voice.

"Yes." Raven choked back a sob. "He did, he told me that we failed as a couple."

"Raven … I am so sorry."

The demoness looked up at her friend. She felt so dirty, wearing her prized silk robe.

"Starfire … thank you … for not rubbing my nose in my blunder."

The princess gave her a small smile. "You are my best friend, why would I hurt you?"

_Because I deserve to be punished for stabbing you in the back._

"Because, you have every right to say 'I told you so'. I didn't listen to you when you warned me. Instead, I was smug and arrogant. You have every right to reprimand me for my pride and stupidity."

Starfire gently wrapped her arms around Raven and drew in into a loving and caring hug.

"Star please don't … I'm unworthy. You should be yelling at me."

"Dear friend, what would that accomplish? He has left you, that is more punishment than you deserve. Why should I continue to torment you?"

"Because … I'm a terrible person."

"That is not true."

Raven pushed her away. "It is true! I have always been an awful person. I abused the man I love, and didn't relent until he left me for another woman. I have always been rude and snide to you, I don't deserve your pity, all I deserve is your scorn."

"You are very troubled, my dear friend. Your beloved has left you and while I wish I could say reassuring words of comfort, telling you that he will return … I cannot. All I can say is that I am and always will be your friend."

Raven winced and looked away. "Starfire, please don't say that. If you knew the real me, you wouldn't be my friend."

Starfire ran her fingers through Raven's hair. "My friendship, and my love for you, they are unconditional. There is nothing you could do to lose them."

Raven felt a sinking sensation in her gut.

_What was I thinking? How could I have done that to her? She can never know. She would hate me and never forgive me if she found out._

"Thank you, Starfire, you have no idea of just how much that means to me."

Starfire, using her fingers, wiped Raven's tears away, then kissed her on the cheek.

"I was looking for you, after your quarrel with Beast Boy, but could not find you. Someone said that they saw Aqualad run after you … Raven … you did not do something regrettable with him, did you?"

Raven winced upon hearing the question, as it hit too close to home. "I almost did. Your boyfriend came to my rescue. After that we went out on patrol, to take my mind off what happened."

Starfire's face fell. "Oh, so you were with Nightwing."

Raven looked at her friend and her heart began to ache with guilt.

"Yes, I was with Dick."

"Dick?"

"Yes, Starfire … his name is Dick, or Richard to be more precise."

The princess' eyes widened and her nostrils flared. "How do you know this? He has refused to tell me his real name."

Raven pursed her lips before continuing. "Remember his Slade hallucinations?"

"Yes I do, You entered his mind to discover what he was seeing."

"That's when I learned his identity … Starfire … I have good news. We had some … downtime during the night and we talked. He told me that that the two of you have been having … trouble."

"He discussed our private matters with you?"

Raven nodded nervously. She was walking in thin ice and knew she had to tread carefully.

"We're … intimate … in a brother/sister kind of way … I've been in his mind after all, we share a lot with each other … anyway … I have good news for you … after talking with him, he agreed that he will finally reveal his true identity to you. You will finally get to see him without his mask."

The Tamaranian looked awestruck.

"Raven, you are not doing the joking?"

"I would never joke about that."

Tears welled in Starfire's eyes. "Oh Raven, I do not know what to say …"

"You don't have to say anything."

"I am so happy. Thank you my friend. You have saved my relationship with Night … I mean, with Richard."

"Don't mention it. Seeing you happy, that makes me happy."

Starfire sniffled as she wiped a tear away.

"Raven … I do have a question … have you ever seen him without his mask?"

Raven's chest tightened and a knot formed in her gut.

"No, I haven't." Raven lied in her most expression free monotone.

Starfire hugged her. "Raven, I will always be in your debt. We must celebrate."

Raven patted her on her shoulders. "Maybe another time … I'm still mourning my loss."

Starfire became crestfallen. "Of course! Raven, please forgive me for my insensitivity."

"It's not a problem. Starfire, I think I'm ready to go back to my room. I need to meditate."

"Of course … you are the OK, yes?"

"I will be. And Starfire … thanks for being my friend. I don't deserve you."

_**-( scene break )-**_

Raven phased through her door into her bedroom, which was dark and foreboding as always. She made a horizontal gesture with her hand and several candles, of various shapes and sizes spontaneously lit up, casting their warm and soothing glow on the room. Raven seemed unaffected and instead sat down on the side of her bed where he always slept. She pulled back the bedspread and grabbed his pillow. She buried her face in it and inhaled deeply. It still reeked of his musky scent and as she withdrew from it there were tears welling in her eyes. She knew that at that very moment he was in Jillian's bed, probably having intercourse with the blond, instead of being in his usual spot.

Raven was overwhelmed by a sense of sorrow which threatened to smother her. Summoning all of her willpower she found her center, crossed her legs and began to levitate. Closing her eyes she whispered her mantra.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos …"

After repeating it a few times she opened her eyes and found herself in Nevermore. She was in the meadow that Beast Boy once described as "where air fresheners come from." This time, however, it bore little resemblance to the peaceful, sunny pasture. Happy was nowhere to be found. This time the sky was dark and lightning flashed repeatedly while thunder echoed. Straining herself she searched she field until she found what she was looking for. Not too far off in the distance she saw dozens of her emoticlones, gathered and milling about in a haphazard manner, their rainbow of capes changing like a kaleidoscope. Raven glided toward the melee and as she approached the first emoticlone she encountered was Timid. The gray caped emoticlone was talking to a Beast Boy who wasn't present.

"Don't leave me Gar! Please don't! I'll do anything. I'll change. I'm so sorry about how I treated you. If you come back I'll be different, I promise."

Raven shuddered to see Timid groveling the way she herself had done just an hour earlier. She quietly walked past the gray clad emotion, who continued to plead for Garfield's forgiveness. As she drew closer she encountered another gray clad emoticlone, though this one was more charcoal grey. She was on her knees. Raven recognized her … her name was Guilt.

"Starfire, please believe me, it was never my intention to hurt you! I don't know what overcame me …"

Raven winced and continued to walk, leaving Guilt behind. As she walked another emoticlone, this one with a bright green cape, popped out of the ground and blocked her path.

"Don't listen to Guilt, you didn't do anything wrong with Grayson."

"Who are you? I've never seen you before."

"Some call me Ego, though I prefer to be called Self. And you didn't do anything wrong. Starfire was manipulating him with sex to get him to take off his mask. You gave yourself freely to him, honestly, without playing any games."

"But what about, Gar?"

"He had already decided to dump you."

"And whose fault was that?" Raven glared at the emoticlone.

"Don't blame the victim, Raven. You owe him nothing, certainly not your fidelity."

Raven snorted and continued walking. As she approached the throng she saw that they were arguing with each other. On the periphery she saw Wisdom, attired in her yellow cape and eyeglasses, calmly discussing with a very agitated pink clad emoticlone: Lust.

"Oh Azar, help me."

"The fling with Grayson was a bad idea." Wisdom calmly enunciated.

"You just don't like getting laid. Don't you think that it was about time we banged someone other than Gar?"

"And what did that accomplish?"

"How about a boost to our self esteem?"

"Nothing of the sort happened. Raven is consumed with regret and guilt."

"Only because of pleasure hating killjoys like you."

"I am not an emotion, therefore I cannot hate anything. My job is to look at the big picture, and this fling will only harm Raven."

"Harm, schmarm. You saw the big fat grin on her face. She loved it. She loves sex, even casual sex, and you know it."

"Just because she enjoys casual sex doesn't mean that it is good for her. As you can already see, it has left her psyche in disarray." Wisdom gestured at the throng of emoticlones, which were busy arguing with each other.

A guttural voice interrupted. "Aw, shut your yap. Screwing Grayson didn't cause this. Everything is messed up because Gar dumped us. If I was in charge, we'd kill the jerk."

"Well, Rage, it's a good thing you aren't in charge. If we followed your murderous lead, Raven would have the Justice League hunting her down and our beloved would be dead."

Rage crossed her arms. "You always over think everything, four eyes."

"It's a good thing I do, because you answer to every problem is to kill somebody."

Other emotions began to approach the bickering trio, and within moments it was a cacophonous storm of emotions, which Raven suffered inside her head, which felt as if it was about to explode.

"QUIET!" She shouted.

The emoticlones all fell silent and turned to face her. Lightning continued to flash in the dark, cloudy sky.

"I'm overdue for a house cleaning!" Raven shouted.

"And how are you gonna do that?" Rude replied and then belched her displeasure. "Do you really think some wussy therapist can help you? Face it Raven, you are one seriously screwed up chick."

"I am not!"

"Yeah, right, that's why you seduced a guy who has basically been a brother figure since you met him and you fucked his brains out and almost stole him from his girlfriend, who happens to be your best friend. And you did this before breaking up with Gar. Yeah, that's normal, balanced behavior."

"I don't need to listen to this."

"Actually … you do." Wisdom intoned. "Though it will be on your own terms, with the help of either a therapist or a psychiatrist."

"Will that really work? And if it does, will I be able to win him back?"

"It is hard to say if it will work. Your psyche is half demon, no one really knows if traditional psychotherapy will help you."

"And what about Gar?"

"At this point he's irrelevant, Raven. You are doing this for yourself. This is about you, not him. We also must accept that perhaps he belongs with Jillian and not with us."

"I'll never accept that."

"That is something you'll need to discuss with your therapist."

Raven sighed. "That can wait. Gar is coming tomorrow to pack his things and leave. It's my last chance to stop him."

"Raven … he is already lost to you, you cannot stop him."

"What? So I'm supposed to just hand him over to that bitch."

"He is already hers, Raven. We have to accept this and move on."

"No … he's mine … he's been mine for 5 years. I'm not allowing some blond bimbo from the past to steal him from me!"

"He has already made up his mind."

"Then he will change his mind."

Wisdom shook her head. "Raven, you need to heal yourself first. Until you do that, any relationship you have with a man will fail. Pursuing Gar at this time is pointless."

"You're asking me to just let him go? You know that I love him!"

"Yes, I do, but he has decided to move on. The only thing you can do now is to accept what has happened and move on."

"I will do no such thing, he's mine and I love him."

"You will let him go."

"I will not!"

"You must."

"I WILL NOT!"

Raven snapped out of her trance and fell on her bed. She grabbed his pillow, and clutching it tightly, she began to weep.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Starfire, who was giddy with the news Raven had just shared with, paced excitedly around her room. The hour was late and she knew that she should wait for Nightwing … Richard … to make his move where he would reveal his identity to her , but the truth was that she felt as if she was about to burst, she could not contain her join. Silky was dozing in his little bed and Starfire scooped him up into her arms.

"Oh Silky, what shall I do?"

The sleepy, oversized larva blinked it buggy eyes at her and yawned."

"Yes, you are quite right, my little bumgorf, I shall go see my beloved right now and reconcile with him!"

Starfire dropped Silky on the floor. The stunned maggot shook its head before crawling back into its bed and falling asleep. Starfire, with a big grin on her face, bolted out of the room, into the hallway outside and headed straight for Nightwing's door. She quickly keyed in the passcode onto the keypad next to the door, which slid open.

Nightwing, wearing only his boxers and his mask on his face, was sleeping face down in his bed, his arm dangling over the edge and his hand was resting on the floor. Starfire gently roused him.

"Boyfriend Nightwing, wake up."

Grayson woke up instantly and leaped out of his bed, instantly assuming a fighting stance.

"Richard, relax, it is I."

As the cobwebs of sleep fell away from his mind, he shook his head. Did she just call him Richard?

"Raven told you my name, didn't she?"

"Yes, my beloved, she did."

He felt a lump form in his throat.

"What else did she tell you?" His voice betrayed the trepidation he was feeling.

"That you told her you would finally let me see your eyes and that you would reveal your true identity to me."

"Where is she? I thought you would stay with her tonight."

"She requested the privacy, so that she can meditate."

"I see. Star … did she say anything else?"

She shook her head. "That you stopped her from making a mistake with Aqualad and then that the two of you went of patrol to take her mind off her fight with Beast Boy."

He nodded his head. "Yeah … that's what we did."

"You are a good friend, Richard … oh! How happy I feel when I say your true name!"

"I'm … a good friend?"

"Yes, you have always watched out for Raven, you have been the protective brother she has never had, and now that Beast Boy has left her, she needs your friendship more than ever. She is fortunate to have you as a friend. You must comfort her, my beloved."

"Yeah … sure … that's what brother figures do, right?"

She nodded happily. "Yes, but now I wish to see your eyes. You have not had the change of heart, have you?"

Grayson shook his head. "No, of course not."

Pausing tentatively for a moment, he raised his right hand to his face and peeled off his mask, which he tossed aside. He locked eyes with his beloved."

"Your eyes, they are so beautiful."

"So are yours, Kory."

She smiled, as he had just used his private pet name for her. She approached him and kissed him. As she drew back she continued to smile. "Tonight, I will do the blowing of your mind. When I am done with you, you will be unable to stand."

He grinned at her. Raven had been right. "I like the sound of that."

Starfire quickly disrobed and hopped into the bed with her boyfriend. After an initial kissing and groping session she paused.

"You have not told me your name."

"My name, my full name, is Richard John Grayson."

Starfire's eyes widened with surprise, as she clearly recognized his name. "You are Bruce Wayne's heir."

"Well, I'm one of them. There's also Tim Drake."

"He is the new Robin, am I correct?"

"Yes."

"And Bruce Wayne … he is the Batman."

He nodded his affirmation.

"Do not fear my beloved, I will keep these secrets safe … but tell me, why did you suddenly decide to share your secret identity with me?"

He sighed. "Well, it was Raven who talked me into it."

"She did? How did she persuade you? You know that you can be very stubborn, my beloved."

He chuckled. "You won't believe this, but she said that it was wrong that you had seen my penis, but had never seen my eyes."

Starfire laughed. "She said that? That seems … so unlike her."

"I know … she's full of surprises."

Grayson was resting on her back and the princess climbed on top of him, assuming her favorite position, the "cowgirl".

"I shall have to thank her for being such a good friend, though I will never be able to repay her."

"I don't think she wants to be repaid."

"I owe her so much … Richard, you and I, we no longer keep secrets from each other … today is the happiest day of my life, and I owe it all to my dear friend Raven."

"Right … no more secrets."

Starfire grinned seductively at him.

"And now, my beloved, we shall make love like it has never been made before."

_**-( scene break )-**_

Poor Star, if she only knew the truth. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. But will Raven and Grayson be able to cope with their deception.

Wow! 29 reviews for the previous chapter! I don't expect to get as many this time, but I would love to be pleasantly surprised.

MeowSaysKat – Yup, this is a story of heartbreak and regret.

The Reviewer – Pride got in the way, which is why both made some serious blunders.

Wolf of IndigoRiver – Why did they do that? Well, let's see: Raven is seriously messed up emotionally and Grayson was shut out by Starfire. And they are attracted to each other.

raven dawn roth – That was my objective. I also hope that it is better too.

Sweetums14 – Don't you just hate Aquabum? I hate him almost as much as I dislike Grayson, who in the comics is a serious douche bag with the ladies. Did you know he had sex with Babs briefly before his botched wedding with Starfire (which Raven prevented by killing the Priest)

JasonVUK – I will eventually complete BulL's Eye

raven leveau – Jillian isn't a bad person like Terra was.

bigC94 – I was wondering how obvious it was that they would cheat together on their partners. And Jonn'z would be the therapist for Raven.

Me - Thanks!

gabylokita41 – I know, it's hard to feel very sorry for Raven at this point.

EbonyVergil – But they would have to show it on Adult Swim.

titanfan45 – Like Cyborg said, you're not their mama.

DaCrazyCrucianGal – In the comics Grayson would take his mask off when he slept with Kory. They did break each other's hearts later, though.

The Cretin – It was very shallow. Both were in bad places and succumbed to temptation. Yet just hours later, they already understand what a terrible decision they made.

Hairul The Nightrage Beast – Well, it was more of a one night stand than a FWB thing. Raven and Grayson will never again make the two backed monster.

Ab3lard00 – I think that Cyborg and Star know better than to do something stupid

Shadico – Raven is going to do a lot of reflection while BB is gone with Jill.

DeeThom – They will get their chance to change his mind next chapter.

glittergurl022 – Thanks!

Titan18Gamble – Yeah, I've revised the plot since we chatted.

Katie TDC – In the original version of this story, Raven was the villain. Now she and BB are both responsible for the disaster that happened.

Ferlion – It is a fine line. Raven suspected that he was sleeping with Jill, but he wasn't, at least not yet. On the other hand, he had already decided to dump her. In my opinion, though, the deciding factor was that Raven still considered him her boyfriend during the fling and even told Grayson that they needed to work things out with their significant others. That said, BB does bear some of the blame.

Bizarrecollector - This time your crystal ball was cloudy.

Dragonkyng – Patience, grasshopper. Good things come to those who wait.

Cyllan Anassan - Todas son buenas observaciones.

Avandra the Mary Sue Slayer – Raven doesn't always do the right the right thing. Malchior comes to mind. Grayson will be different in that he will now stay far away from Raven.

js12601 – He kind of did, though to be honest, she initiated the encounter. He could have done the right thing of course. Had he done that, she might have gone after Aqualad, though.

LurkingShadowWillow – He would never willingly confess that. They all would have killed him. And then they would have killed Raven.


	6. Time To Say Goodbye

It was dark in Raven's room. The candles had been snuffed out and the only light in the room came from the bright green LED alarm clock on her nightstand, which cast all sorts of strange shadows in her room. Her drama masks, with their classical smiling and frowning faces, looked especially eerie in the pale green light. The eyes on her blackbird figurines glowed in an otherworldly fashion while her meditation mirror seemed to absorb light like a black hole.

Raven tossed and turned in her bed, while she tightly clutched his pillow. Her bedcovers were a tangled mess, bearing witness to her night of restless slumber. The alarm clock indicated that it was 5:57AM and that the sun would soon be rising. Raven's tossing and turning intensified and her eyes suddenly popped open.

She sat up in her bed. She felt neither refreshed nor relaxed and she moaned unhappily as she sat up, rubbing her forehead unhappily. She slept in her leotard, something she hadn't done since she was a teen ... before she began to sleep with him. She dropped her bare feet onto the floor, pondering what to do next. 6 AM was not an unusual time for her to get up. It was when she usually went up to the rooftop, weather permitting, to perform her morning meditations. This morning she didn't feel motivated to perform her routine and she slowly lowered herself back onto her bed, closing her eyes as her head rested on her pillow. She grabbed his pillow and clutching it tightly she quickly fell back asleep.

When she opened her eyes again, it was morning. The alarm clock now indicated that it was 7:23 AM. She still didn't feel motivated to rise, but knew that she had to be ready, in case duty called, so she dragged her gray butt out of her bed and stood up. As she stretched she sensed something … her still sleepy eyes widened. He was back.

Without putting on her boots or cape, and without even brushing her hair, Raven phased through the shared wall that divided their rooms. As she emerged on the other side she was greeted by an unpleasant sight. Jillian was wearing a skin tight T-shirt that showcased her exceptionally well formed breasts. She was also wearing a pair of Daisy-Duke shorts. Raven frowned at the sight, the bitch was stacked. Beast Boy was the first to notice her presence, as his sensitive ears detected the faint hum of her portal in the wall.

Jill was busy assembling cardboard boxes using packing tape, and sealing them shut after he filled them with his stuff, scribbling a note on their sides with a sharpie, including her address in Manhattan, which was the intended final destination for the mountain of boxes. He stopped packing a box with comic books and graphic novels and locked eyes with his ex.

"You shouldn't be here, Raven." He droned at her in a monotone that was uncharacteristic for him.

"I have every right to be here. You're my common-law husband. You can't just dump me like that."

"Seriously? I've suddenly gone from not being your boyfriend to being your husband? You're grasping at straws anyway, you know that California doesn't recognize common law marriages … you told me that yourself years ago."

"Gar … we need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about, witch. He's mine now."

Balls of dark Eldritch energy formed around Raven's hands as she glared at the blond She quickly glanced at Beast Boy, who mouthed the words "Don't you dare hurt her". Raven relaxed and her dark energy dissipated.

"I'm not letting you take him from me. He's mine. I shared my life and bed with him for 5 years, all you are for him is a memory."

"You're the one who's gonna become a memory … a bad memory he's gonna forget really fast. And just how are you gonna stop me anyway."

Raven's eyes glowed red. "I thought you'd never ask, you boyfriend stealing bitch. I'm taking him back, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"I'd like to see you try … you creepy hag."

"Oh, you'll get to see plenty." Raven growled as she approached the blond.

"I should warn you, I know Karate."

"You do? How cute. Did you know that I'm far stronger than any normal man? Like ten times stronger, because I'm half demon. And I also know Karate … and Judo, Kung Fu and Krav Maga. I don't need my magical powers to kick your sorry ass …"

Beast Boy leaped between the two women, who looked ready to claw each other's eyes out.

"Get out of the way, Garfield. I'm not afraid of that creepy witch. I'm gonna kick her ass."

"Jill … she isn't lying, she does have superhuman strength … let me take care of this … she's my ex, so she's my problem, not yours."

"But …"

"No buts … you just keep packing … I'll be back soon."

Beast Boy grabbed Raven by her elbow and led her out of his room. Once the door slid shut he glared at his ex.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You threatened her with violence!"

"Hey, she was the one bragging that she knows Karate and she challenged me."

"And you should know better than to accept that callenge. Raven … look … I know this isn't easy for you to accept."

Raven gathered herself before answering in her calmest monotone.

"Gar … this is a mistake … and I know about mistakes … I've made my share and I know what they look like. If you leave, it will be the biggest mistake you'll ever make, one you'll regret for the rest of your life."

"You're telling me about regret? Have you ever regretted anything in your life?"

Raven sniffled as she turned away from him. "I've come to regret many things I have done."

"Really? Like what?"

_Like when I seduced Nightwing._

"Malchior comes to mind. I never told anyone this, but I was going to ask him to marry me when I got him out of the book."

"Raven, you weren't even sixteen back then. You wanted to marry him?"

"Yes … I did … I allowed myself to be tricked by him and nearly cost us our lives. Gar, I'm no stranger to making mistakes and regretting them later … my greatest mistake has been the way I've treated you these past years. I truly regret it and I will change."

His shoulders slumped. "Raven … I really want to believe you, but there's a voice in the back of my head screaming 'run away'. I'm not sure … I don't think it's that easy to change, I mean, this is who you really are."

She shook her head. "No … it's who I was. Gar, please give me another chance … I'll see a therapist … I really want to be a better person."

His ears perked up. "Then you should go that, for yourself. But for now … I'm sorry … there's too many bad memories. You know, I should have moved on a long time ago, but I didn't have the guts to do it."

"You mean that you didn't have a replacement for me." She accused him in a bitter tone.

"Raven, I've known Jill longer than I've known you. She isn't a replacement for you. I've just moved on to a different place and she was there."

Raven's jaw began to tremble. "You made love with her last night, didn't you?"

"You shouldn't ask that question … we aren't a couple anymore, it really doesn't concern you … Raven, please listen, I know that this is a terrible time for you, but I really hope that someday we can be friends again."

"Friends? You want to stick me into the Trigon Damned Friend Zone?" Raven seethed. "Gar, we're lovers … not friends."

He nodded his head sadly. "Yeah, that's the problem; we never really were friends, were we? All we were was Bed Buddies."

"That's not true and you know it. You know that I love you and you love me."

"I know, Rave, I know. That's what's making this so hard. That's why I need to leave."

"I don't want you to leave." Another voice interrupted.

Raven and Beast Boy both turned to face their unexpected expected companion. Nightwing emerged from the shadows.

"How long have you been spying on us?" He asked.

"I just got here … Beast Boy; I want you to reconsider quitting the team."

"I see Raven already told you."

"Yes, she did."

"Because you and Raven are 'intimate', right?"

Grayson felt his heart rate speed up. His entire body tensed, even if it was only for a split second. He felt his mouth go dry. Raven didn't tell him, in a fit of anger, of their bedroom rendezvous the night before, did she?

"You know that we've always been close friends. Raven's been in my mind, you know."

"Yeah … I know … you guys are the great platonic friends, best buds who talk and share everything with each other."

Grayson allowed a small sigh of relief to escape. He didn't know … he could never know.

"Gar … I want that for us too." She interjected.

The changeling shook his head. "It's too late; I made a commitment to return to the Doom Patrol."

"What about your commitment to us? I thought we were family."

"We are, but sometimes you have to move on. And the Doom Patrol is also my family. I'm sorry Nightwing, but I can' stay, not after I broke up with Raven."

"Then perhaps you should do the reconciliation." Starfire's voice interrupted.

Garfield suppressed a wince. Starfire was now present and so was Cyborg. The princess was going to be difficult to evade. He had a soft place in his heart for the Tamaranian; she was the sweet, endearing surrogate sister he never had. Breaking her heart was not going to be easy.

"Please Star … don't. I know you mean well, but … it's over between Raven and I."

"I do not believe that is true. You are angry with your beloved, and rightly so. But leaving her for another woman is not the answer."

"I'm not 'another woman'; I was his first girl friend. I'm the first girl he ever kissed and I'm the first girl he made love with." Jill announced. The blond heard the commotion in the hall and came out of his room.

A collective gasp was heard and the hallway was quiet, until Cyborg broke the silence.

"Yo B, you … you were already a man when we met? But you were just …"

"Yeah, I was 14, and I know I never told you guys. I knew you'd freak out if I did."

Raven had a shocked look on her face. "I thought I was your first."

"Did I ever say you were? No, you just assumed that I was a loser who couldn't get laid."

"He isn't a loser, witch. And I've returned to claim what's mine." Jill interjected as she wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Jill, I said I would take care of this."

"Hey, they're all trying to talk you into staying with her."

"It ain't gonna happen, Jill. We're leaving this afternoon … together. I'd like you to go back and finish packing for me; I'll deal them, OK?"

Jill reluctantly agreed to his request and returned to his room, glaring at Raven as she passed the sorceress. Nightwing leaned over to Cyborg and whispered "You got us into this mess; you'd better get us out of it." The Tin Man nodded his agreement. He then approached the Changeling and placed a hand on his should.

"Walk with me, Grass Stain, we need to talk."

Within minutes the two friends reached "Terra's Rock". The changeling picked up a stone and threw it into the bay, where is skipped several times before sinking into the briny water.

"You want me to stay, right Chrome Dome?"

"Well, yeah … BB … this wasn't the objective, you leaving with the mystery girl. You were gonna show Raven who's boss, and you did. She's kissing your ass now, big time."

Beast Boy threw another stone, which sank after the first slip. "Yeah, I know."

"Well … mission accomplished … so why the theatrics?"

"The mission isn't accomplished."

"What do you mean?"

"Cy, look … we both know that if I stay, things will just go back to the way they used to be. Raven's only being like this because of Jill. If I dump Jill she'll never talk to me again. And if that happens, I'll have nothing. Rave will know she's in charge and I'll be screwed."

"I don't know about that. She knows that if she treats you wrong again, that you have options."

"No, I won't. It was sheer luck that I was able to find Jill again. And she just broke up with her boyfriend."

"So it wouldn't be Jill. You'd find another girl."

The changeling glared at his friend. "You haven't been paying attention, have you? I've always struck out with the ladies. I went through a long drought after I broke up with Jill. Why do you think I fell so hard for Terra? If it hadn't been for Raven, I might have moved to Japan. At least there I have fangirls."

"I overheard her say that she was willing to see a therapist. She sounds pretty serious to me."

"That's nice, but it could take years before she straightens herself out. I don't want to wait that long, plus she might never set herself straight. That's why I need to leave."

"C'mon, B, you can't quit the team."

"I know … I don't want to leave, but right now being around Raven is the wrong thing for me."

"Listen, the woman, she does love you, she really does. I'm not saying that if you stay that things will be perfect, but I think things will be better for both of you. You know you love her, can you really just walk away from her, just like that?"

Gar threw another stone into the bay. It skipped five times. "I also love Jill. And she isn't screwed up like Raven is."

"Listen man, if you leave, you're gonna regret it. Mark my words, you won't last with Jill."

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do. Look, I know this from personal experience. You know that I've dated a lot of girls, and all of them were civilians. It doesn't work, man. Sure, they're attracted to superheroes, cuz we're cool and famous. But they can't cope with the job, you know what I mean? What we do, it ain't an office job … clock in at 8, leave at 5. None of my ladies could handle it, and Jill won't be able to either. Plus she'll freak out every time you get hurt and she'll resent you having to drop everything and leave. She has an office job right?"

"Yeah, she works for an advertising firm in Manhattan."

"OK, picture this … she rides the subway home, and when she gets there all she finds is a note saying that you've gone after the Brotherhood of Evil and you don't know when you'll be back. That will get old real fast, dude, and one day, when you do come back, she'll demand that you quit the hero biz."

"No way, she'd never do that."

"Yes way, she will. And what will you do then? What kind of job would you get? You never even finished high school."

"I guess Steve … Mento, could get me a job."

"Oh, you'd love that … working in the old man's firm, in a job you're not qualified for, while everyone else hates your guts."

"I don't have to work; I have a trust fund from my biological parents. Plus Rita would give me some money too."

"And do what? Read comics and play videogames all day while your lady works? And don't think she'll quit her job to hang out with you. She's worked hard to get where she's at. She ain't gonna give it up."

"You make it sound like Raven's my only choice."

Cyborg shook his head. "She's not the only choice, she's the right choice. I know it doesn't seem that way now, but you gotta believe me on this. C'mon, you showed her you got a backbone, she'll respect you now, hell, she's gonna kiss your little green ass. She's gonna treat you right."

Gar threw another stone into the bay. "Cy, I appreciate what you're doing and I remember what the original objective was. And I do care about Raven, I really do. Seeing her like this breaks my heart, but … I have to do what's right for me, and right now Jillian is what's right for me, not Raven."

Cyborg heaved a huge sigh. "I guess I'm gonna miss you, Green Bean. Remember, this is your home and we're your family, you can always come back. You'll always be welcome."

"I'm sorry Cy, I know you want me to stay, but being with Jill, it just reminds me that I am OK, that a pretty girl, one who isn't a metahuman, can actually love me."

Cyborg gave him a sly grin. "I still can't believe that you and her did it back then. How the heck did that happen? Shit, you were still kids."

The changeling smiled sheepishly. "We had no idea of what we were doing; we didn't use any protection or anything."

"You're lucky you didn't knock her up."

"I know, her dad would have killed me."

"So, I'm guessing that last night …"

"Yeah, after I broke up with Raven I went back to Jill's hotel and spent the night with her."

"So?"

"So what?"

"So, who's better, you know, in the sack?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Nah, I suppose I don't."

"Good, cuz I wasn't gonna tell you anyway."

Cyborg laughed. "Well, I guess I'd better let you finish packing."

"Cy, thanks."

"I still think you're making the wrong choice, but I'm your friend, so … you have my support."

_**-( scene break )-**_

A delivery van with the Dayton Industries logo on its side was parked in the garage. A team of three men, clad in Dayton coveralls and pushing hand trucks, were steadily transferring the boxes in the changeling's room into the van. A black limousine was also parked in the garage, and its driver was reading a book, waiting patiently for his passengers.

Cyborg put together an impromptu farewell party. There was a sheet cake with the words "Good Luck Beast Boy" scribbled in icing. There were platters of chicken wings and other hors d'oeurves and a few containers if ice cream. Nightwing was stoic, his face was expressionless and his arms were crossed.

"Beast Boy, I'll let you be the team leader for a whole year if you stay."

"That's a tempting offer, Bird Boy. But I have to turn it down. Now who wants some cake?"

The changeling cut a generous piece of the cake and gave it to Starfire. The princess looked at her plate and put it down. She drew the changeling into a tender hug.

"I will miss you, my dear friend."

"Me too, Star. You're always so sweet and nice. Keep an eye on Raven. Give her time, she'll get over me and move on."

"I will be there for her, thought I do not believe she will do the getting over of you."

"Now you're making me feel bad."

"Forgive me, today is the day you embark on a new journey. May X'hal be with you."

"Thanks, Star."

The changeling cut a second piece of cake and gave it to Nightwing.

"Dude, take care of Raven for me. And … I just want to say that it was great being a Titan and having you as my leader. I can't think if anyone I could trust more than you to make the right decisions for the team."

"I've been known to make bad ones. The team won't be the same without you."

Beast Boy smiled. "Red X was a long time ago. You guys will be fine without me. You won't even miss me, you'll see."

He gave the next slice to Cyborg. "I'm gonna miss you, Tin Man. And thanks for everything, especially for being my friend."

"Shut up man, you're gonna make me cry."

Gar cut another slice. He looked around the room. Raven was nowhere to be found. He then turned to Jill and gave her the plate.

"You make me complete."

She put the plate on the table and gave him a passionate kiss.

The farewell continued for about 30 minutes, until the delivery van driver entered the room, with a clipboard in his hand. "We're done; we'll take everything to the airport, so it can be loaded into the jet. Sign here please. The limo is already in the garage, you can leave whenever you're ready."

Beast Boy signed the sheet on the clipboard and thanked the van driver, who promptly disappeared into the lift. He wrapped an arm around Jill's shoulder and turned to face his friends.

"Well guys, I guess this is it. I'm really gonna miss all of you. Maybe the Doom Patrol and the Titans can work together sometime."

Last minute hugs were exchanged. Gar thought that Nightwing's hug felt awkward, and he just chalked it up to the masked Titan's repressed nature. No one hugged Jill, though polite handshakes were exchanged. Gar and Jill headed to the lift, which he summoned. When the doors opened Raven, who was attired in her white outfit, stepped out and hugged the changeling. She then gave him a passionate kiss and without saying a word she phased into the floor and disappeared. After recovering from the surprise he and Jill stepped into the elevator and waved goodbye one last time.

After the doors closed, Jill took her boyfriend's hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

"She sure has a flair for the dramatic."

"That's Raven, alright."

"Are you going to miss her?"

He shrugged. "I supposed I will. I was with her for a long time."

He leaned over and kissed her.

"But that's in the past." He smiled. "I'm really looking forward to the future … with you."

_**-( scene break )-**_

BB's off to rejoin the Doom Patrol! What will the Titans do? What will Raven do? Will Cyborg's predictions come true? Or is he full of it?

And now it's time for the mailbag.

js12601 – You guessed right.

krostovikraven1- And now Raven got put into the friend zone as well.

A Spectator - Nope. Raven had Graysons' baby in the original. That made things too complicated, so it won't happen this time.

Hairul The Nightrage Beast – Carved in Stone – the Songfic version

Sweetums14 – What would Starfire do if she found out?

DeeThom – That could have been interesting. There will be some Raven vs. Rita action later.

japanrider3000 – They are both to blame, but Raven bears the brunt of the blame.

Guest – If the one night stand is ever revealed, Star would be hurt.

LSUABW – Now I feel dirty!

raven leveau – Why do they always have to be blonds. And yes, Jillian was a blond in the comics.

ChaosIsBeauty23 – Thanks! Nevermore will pose a challenge to her therapist

KroovyRed – I hope I haven't scared you away

TheThoughtsofKarasu – I can only imagine how finding out that Raven betrayed her will make her feel.

LurkingShadowWillow – The thing about horrible mistakes, they often seem like good ideas when they are made.

Dragonkyng – They say that honesty is the best policy. Will Raven have the courage o do what's right?

Ab3lard00 – I draw a lot inspiration from the comics, which were a lot more dramatic and serious than the show, though the original show was very good, much better than the lame "Teen Titans Go!" that replaced it.

Bizarrecollector – She appears to have accepted it, well, sort of.

The Cretin – Jill won't be quite the slut she was in the original, but she's hardly a saint. And Grayson does deserve a serious ass kicking at Starfire's hands. Lucky for him she has no clue and is overjoyed that he finally revealed his identity to her.

Notabotipromise – It's probably best to think of this story set in an AU where they aren't as nice as they usually are. To BB's credit, he did wait until he broke up with Raven before sleeping with Jill, though that is a small consolation for Raven.

gabylokita41 – Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! Nightwing beware!

titanfan45 – Oh yeah, they are already regretting it.

glittergurl022 – It should be less twisty than the original.

Shadico – The trainwreck will come soon enough

Ravenandthefire – Yeah, they aren't very likeable right now.


	7. The Flight Home

The limo emerged from the Tower's access tunnel, its huge titanium alloy doors slid shut behind it and the tunnel, which ran under the bay, flooded with seawater, an added precaution to deter any unfriendly usage of the underground motor way. The limo driver turned onto the bayside freeway onramp, straining the car's engine as it accelerated to match the speed of the other motorists during the busy late afternoon rush hour.

Beast Boy, who was leaning back and looking a bit melancholical, stifled a sigh as the Tower came into his view, standing on its perch in the middle of the bay, like a sentinel, always watching over the city.

The impact and weight of his decision was finally bearing down on him as cooler and calmer emotions now ruled in his head. Seeing the Tower released a torrent of memories and he felt a slight tightness in his chest. He knew this was it, that he would never come back, he was no longer a Titan and would never be one again.

He looked down at his Doom Patrol uniform, which he never replaced during all his years as a Titan. That act almost seemed prophetic in hindsight, or maybe it was just a sign of the bitter truth. He recalled when Mento summoned him to return to the Doom Patrol, via a message pod, after they had been captured by the Brotherhood of Evil. Beast Boy didn't even ask for a leave of absence, he just went to find his old team. He wondered if the situation were to be reversed, and if he received a message from Nightwing requesting help, would he respond?

From the beginning, since the day they met in front of the wedge shaped pizzeria, he thought of them as friends.

Cyborg was his best bud. Always watching out for him, giving him advice. And the Tin Man told him to not leave, and his reasons were many. Out of all of them, Garfield would miss him the most.

Then there was Starfire. How could someone be so fierce and so sweet at the same time? And hot too, he had more than once fantasized about her. What he didn't get was what she saw in Nightwing. Were girls really that attracted to douche bag alpha types? Apparently more than a few were, judging by all the fan mail the Boy Blunder received over the years.

Nightwing, well, he wouldn't miss him. Sure, he was a strong leader and was totally devoted to fighting crime, to the point of obsession. Over the years Beast Boy tried to cut him some slack. Raven once confided to him, that Nightwing was like that because his parents were murdered. So yeah, he got it, the masked Titan, Batman's former sidekick, was out to get even with all the thugs and evildoers in the world. The problem with that was … it was an impossible task. And the obsession spilled over into the rest of his actions. The guy was dysfunctional; he only hung on to Starfire because she was, for some mysterious reason, unconditionally devoted to him.

Raven's face popped into his mind's eye. Five years … five long years of what had to be the most screwed up relationship in history. Yeah, he knew she was half demon, and that she struggled with her emotions, but he finally had the guts and honesty to admit the truth to himself: He was deeply in love with her, but couldn't stand being with her. How he held it all together during all those years was a mystery that would probably always elude him. A melancholic sigh escaped his lips.

"I know, Gar, this is a huge step, leaving it all behind."

He looked into Jill's eyes and smiled.

Jill accepted him unconditionally from the day they met. She never called him "grass stain". She never put him down, calling him a clown or telling him he was immature or stupid. And she didn't get harumphy like a certain alien princess.

He also remembered why he broke up with Jill years before … he did it to protect her. When his gig as Ensign Tork on the sci fi show came to an abrupt end he knew that he had to get back into the hero biz. And he also knew the rule of thumb: Superheroes couldn't have romantic interests with "normies". Sure some tried. Everyone knew that Lois Lane was Supes love interest, and because of that she was always in mortal danger. Maybe Superman could keep Lane safe, but Gar was only a changeling. Breaking up with Jill, before heading north to Jump City to start a new life, was the hardest thing he ever did. But apparently life did sometimes give second chances.

"It is hard to leave it behind. I have a lot of memories associated with that place, both good and bad."

"I can only imagine … I was kind of a fan girl when I was a teen, I always followed you guys in the news."

"You did?"

"Well, until I went to college. When I found out that you and Raven were a couple … I guess I realized that I was hanging onto a fantasy, hoping that you'd come back to me."

"I'm sorry about that."

"You don't have anything to be sorry about. It's life. You didn't do it to hurt me; you did it to protect me."

"I suppose you're right … Jill … how do you feel about … you know … me and Raven. I mean, I slept with her for five years."

"Gar … I'm not a virgin either. I did some stuff in college I'm not proud of."

"You mean like one night stands?"

"Yeah … it was only a couple of times, but now I feel that was two times too many."

He shrugged. "I had five years of one night stands with Raven."

"That's not true; you were in love with her. Just because you guys had a frakked up relationship doesn't change that."

"You told me yesterday that you just broke up with a guy."

"More like two months ago. His name was Tony, Tony Garzarelli. He's a Wall Street investment banker."

"So why did you guys break up?"

"He was cheating on me behind my back for months, then, out of the blue he tells me he's been sleeping with some bitch."

"Ouch, what a tool."

"Yeah … we had sex the night before he dropped the bomb on me."

"Yesterday, or should I say early this morning, Raven came to my room. The first thing she said that she wanted to have some make up sex."

"Did you?"

He shook his head. "No, I couldn't do that to her. I couldn't sleep with her and then dump her."

"You are different, Gar. Most guys would have banged her and then dumped her. Gar … I'm really sorry."

"You're sorry? For what?"

"If I had known that we would be getting back together, I would have saved myself for you."

He put his hand behind her head and drew her into a tender kiss.

"Me too."

"At least you didn't do any one night stands."

"Hey … forget that. We all make mistakes. I thought I could be happy with a woman who is half demon. I thought she would change. And I waited five long years for her to change. Jill, those mistakes are in the past. And believe me, I'm the one who really screwed up, not you."

The limo came to a halt. The limo door opened and they were greeted by a beaming flight attendant.

"The jet is ready to leave at your convenience, Mr. Logan … hello Miss Jackson, it's nice to see that you'll be travelling with us again."

Jill smiled at the perky flight attendant. Behind her, a silver executive jet with the Dayton Industries' logo on its rudder was waiting for them.

"It's nice to see you again too, Miss Ashmore."

"The pilot has told me we'll be having a pleasant flight."

Beast Boy and Jill emerged from the limo and followed Lisa Ashmore to the jet. As they reached the short steps built into the jet's door, Beast Boy paused and turned around. The Tower was visible from their vantage point. He pursed his lips and turned back to the jet, following Jillian inside. Lisa entered last and a ground crew member lifted the hatch's door up, which she sealed. The ground crew member pulled the chocks away from the landing gear and gave the pilot the all clear hand signal.

The jet's engines powered up.

_**-( scene break )-**_

The silence in the room, which she usually welcomed, was now oppressing, smothering Raven as if she had been buried deep in the ground. She sat on the edge of her bed, leaning forward, cradling her head in hands as she stared at the floor.

The sun had already set and she knew that the jet was already on its way to New York.

Raven sighed unhappily. So much had happened in the last 24 hours. She got into a public fight with her boyfriend and in a fit of anger she used her powers to attack him. Then Aqualad tried to seduce her and hours later she seduced Nightwing with the pitiful excuse that it was about her insecurities. Then, feeling emboldened and empowered after her roll in the hay with the masked, muscular Titan she approached her beau, ready to reconcile with him, only to find out that he had already decided to leave her for an old flame.

"Well, Raven." She castigated herself. "You couldn't have fucked everything up worse even if you had tried to on purpose."

A loud knock on her door interrupted her gloomy thoughts.

"Go away!"

A second knock was heard.

"I said go away! What do you want?"

"It's me, Cyborg … I'd like to talk."

She groaned and her initial instinct was to send him away. She finally desisted and with a hand gesture her door was engulfed in her dark energy and slid open.

"You may come in, Cyborg, just … don't touch anything."

The tin man cautiously entered Raven's room, his eyes darting back and forth. The last time he had been in her abode was the time when he and Beast Boy were trapped by her mediation mirror, many years before. As he slowly walked in he took furtive looks at her shelves, which contained the usual collection of odd books and macabre looking bric-a-brac. Suddenly, something caught his eye and he stopped in his tracks. Ignoring her earlier admonition, he reached out and grabbed the object that had caught his attention.

It was a picture frame, which had a picture, which he had taken spontaneously of them at the spur of the moment, without them posing, when they reconciled after Raven publicly apologized for disparaging his parents. He immediately put it back on the shelf.

"Sorry … you said not to touch …"

"It's OK … that had to be one of the few times we actually looked happy together."

"Actually, that happened more often than you think, a lot more often. I do have more images from my bionic eye stored in back up memory."

She gently took the frame from the shelf and examined the picture. "It's the only picture I have of us together, and I only have it because he gave it to me and insisted that I keep it in my room."

"I can print some of those other pictures … they won't look as good since I used my eye and not a camera to …"

She raised her hand, gently silencing him. "Thanks, Cyborg, but more pictures won't make him come back."

"Yeah … I know … Raven, I owe you an apology."

"You do? For what?"

"It's my fault BB left you."

"Let me guess … you told that had to stand up to me?"

"Uh … yeah, I kind of did that … Raven … you gotta understand …"

"I do." She cut him off. "I know I was a horrible girlfriend."

"Horrible is such a harsh word."

Raven looked out her window, at the dark nighttime sky. "How would you have described me?"

He hemmed and hawed. "Uh … how about 'rough around the edges'?"

She smirked. "You make it sound like I needed some sandpaper."

"I think it's a good metaphor."

"You're too kind, Cyborg, but I was more than rough around the edges. I treated him like crap because I hate myself."

"You mean that you felt that you didn't deserve him? And that you treated him that way to push him away."

"Yeah, of course I didn't actually want him to go away."

"Right … Raven, do you remember when you met me for the first time?"

"Of course I do, how could I forget that day … you told me that I fit in just fine."

"Yeah, I did, and it was true. Raven, did you know I grew up in Metropolis?"

She shook her head.

"Funny, isn't it? We've lived together and fought evil together for a really long time. Yet you don't know who I am, do you?" He asked.

"All I know is that you had an accident."

"Yeah … I did … long story short: my dad was a scientist at STAR Labs, he was working on opening interdimensional portals."

"He was?"

"Yeah … I kinda figured it would hit close home for you. Anyway, my mom and I were in the lab when he tried to open one for the first time, and it worked. It was a big deal and my dad was on cloud 9, that is until a monster came through the portal. It killed my mom and maimed me before my dad could stop it and send it back … I don't need to say this, but that was the worst day of my life"

"Cyborg … I'm sorry … I always assumed that you were in some kind of automobile accident."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't. And there was nothing that could be done to save my mom and I looked like I was a goner too. My dad worked day and night to design all these prosthetics. They saved my life, but …"

"You didn't want to live anymore."

"Exactly, I felt like I was a monster. When I first woke up, after being fitted, I screamed. I was horrified, I didn't recognize myself. Anyway, my dad took me home, but … it wasn't working. I had to drop out of high school, and sports too … no one would want to play against me, how could they? It would have been unfair."

"So what did you do?"

"My dad rented a condo for me here in Jump. He had a college friend, a dude named Steve Dunn. Steve's a psycho-therapist. I saw him for a few years, even after the team was formed, but I began my therapy a whole year before we met. I know back when you met me I still seemed to have some hang ups, I mean, I wore those fleece outfits to cover myself up. But believe it or not, I had made a ton of progress by the time we met."

Raven took his hand. "Cyborg, I had no idea. I'm so sorry."

"It's OK, little lady, no biggie. And you can call me Vic."

"That's your name, your real name?"

"Yup, my name is Victor Stone."

Raven bowed her head. "Victor, thank you. Thank you for trusting me with that secret. Does Gar …"

"Nope, he doesn't know, only you do."

"Thank you … Victor. And don't worry; I don't hold you responsible for Gar leaving me. That was my fault and no one else's."

The tin man smiled as he handed a business card to her. It read: "Stephen Dunn, Counselor" and it enumerated his degrees and certifications along with his phone number.

"Steve is a good guy, Raven. I highly recommend him."

Raven cast a wary eye at the card. "I told Gar that I would see a therapist."

"I think you should … Raven … he won't last with her, trust me, I know. He's gonna come back someday, and you need to be ready that day."

She gulped. "This isn't going to be easy … baring my soul to a stranger."

"I know, I've been there. But believe me, it'll be worth it. Even if you don't get him back, it'll be worth it."

_**-( scene break )-**_

The interior of the executive jet was the way most corporate jets were. It was luxurious, with huge seats that looked like they belonged in someone's living room. The interior of the jet looked subdued, with relaxing colors but it was also equipped with all sorts of creature comforts. Steve Dayton didn't really care for the luxury, but his board of directors did expect it, and so it was.

There was something that did catch the changeling's eye. He was seated on one of the sofa like seats, with his legs stretched out and his arms behind his head.

"Larry!" The changeling shouted happily.

The superhero known as Negative Man stood up and extended his hand in greeting to the green changeling.

"Well, well, so it's true! The prodigal son is coming home. And he's bringing a First Class Hottie with him! Long time no see, Jill!"

Jillian smiled and exchanged a proper greeting with him.

"Dude, what are you doing here? Not that I'm complaining."

"You didn't think I'd let Cliff come all the way out here by himself."

"Cliff's here?"

Robotman emerged from the cockpit. "You'd better believe it kid. You didn't think for a moment that I'd let some ordinary pilot bring you and Jill … hey kid, you're looking great … back to New York. Larry's my copilot."

"Guys … I'm touched."

"Hey … Rita isn't the only one thrilled that you broke up with Raven." Larry interjected.

"Yeah, kid, you had us worried there for a while. What took you so long to wise up and dump her?" Cliff added.

Gar looked at Jill and smiled. "I was just waiting for the right girl to come back into my life."

"Well, all I can say is … it's about time." Cliff remarked.

A troubled expression appeared on the changeling's face.

"Whoa, are you OK, Gar? You look like you just saw a ghost." Jill asked him.

He slowly shook his head. "Nah, it's nothing … I just had some déjà vu. It's no biggie."

"Well then, how about you kids take a seat and buckle up so we can get this show on the road?" Cliff remarked.

Lisa Ashmore tended to the passengers while Cliff and Larry returned to the cockpit. Minutes later, the jet barreled down the runway and took off just as the sun was setting and casting a warm amber glow on the bay and on Titans Tower. Beast Boy watched the Tower slowly disappear in the distance as the jet gained attitude and speed, until he could see it no more. As he continued to stare out the window he felt a nudge in his ribs.

"Hey lover, are you OK?"

He nodded. "Yeah … now that we've left and I can't see it anymore … I guess I'm getting some closure."

"We should never come back to this town." She said with an air of authority.

"I'm gonna miss Cy and Starfire."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll see them again. Hopefully without the witch."

"Jill … don't call her that … she isn't a witch."

"Sure … whatever." She replied with a slight huff.

They sat in silence as the jet continued to climb, until it reached cruising altitude. Just as the flight attendant brought them a snack, Negative Man emerged from the cockpit and joined them.

"So, is Lisa treating you well?"

"First class." Jill replied.

Larry tapped his finger on his knee. "Um … I have some bad news."

"Really, what is it?"

"It's Rita, she wants both of you to live in the manor. She says that it isn't safe if you live in Jill's apartment."

"Are you serious?" Jill retorted. "How am I supposed to get to work? On the train?"

"That's the other thing … it's too dangerous for you to work at the office."

"Then what am I supposed to do? Quit my job? The company has a firm no telecommuting policy."

"Not anymore." Larry replied. "You can now telecommute from the manor."

"Say what? How did that happen? Did Steve pull some strings?"

"Not string pulling, per se."

"Then what did he do?" Beast Boy asked.

"He bought the company." Larry replied in a "don't shoot the messenger" voice.

"Oh, Larry, you're joking, right?"

"I wish I was, Garfield."

"You know that we're perfectly safe on our own."

"Listen, no one knows that better than me. If I called the shots, you two lovebirds would live in Jill's apartment. But I don't call the shots … Rita does ... at least when missions aren't involved, in that case Mento's in charge."

"Dude, this blows. How are we supposed to have any privacy?"

"Steve went to bat for you guys … you'll be living in the guest house, not in the manor itself. And before you complain, that's a better deal than what Cliff and I get."

"So let me get this straight, I'm going to be under house arrest in the estate." Jill asked.

"You can come and go, though it would be safer if you didn't go out alone."

"I don't believe this." She moaned. "I don't want any bodyguards."

"Jill, the truth is, you'll need them. Your boyfriend is the heir to a multibillion dollar fortune. That alone makes you a target. But he's also a member of the Doom Patrol. We have a lot of enemies, Jill, so you need to be careful. And as much as you hate it, you do need to be protected."

"And what happens when you guys are gone?"

"The estate is secure, and if you need anything, Vernon Questor will take care of it for you."

"Great, I feel like a teacup in display cabinet."

"Relax, kid, you won't be a prisoner on the estate."

"But I can't leave without body guards."

"Lots of people have bodyguards, Jill. And unless you acquire superpowers or become a super athlete like Nightwing or Batgirl, then yeah, you're gonna need them."

Jill allowed an exasperated moan to escape her lips. "I don't see how this could get any worse."

"Actually, it can."

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow, wondering what other bomb Larry was going to drop on them. Jill raised her hands in sheer frustration, "What could possibly be worse?"

Negative Man snickered. "You're spending the day tomorrow with Rita: shopping, lunch, a trip to a spa …"

"I'm sorry I asked."

"Don't sweat it kid, Rita just wants to get to know you better. Believe me, in five years she never did anything with Raven. Nada, zilch, zip. If she ever mentioned Raven's name, it was usually preceded by an expletive."

Jill chuckled upon hearing the last sentence. "So I have nothing to worry about?"

"Rita does like you; she just wants to spend some time with you, so don't sweat it. Anyway, I need to get back to the cockpit. I'd suggest you get some sleep, we won't be landing until around 2AM and if I know Rita, she'll be ready to head out the door with you at 9AM."

Without waiting for a reply, Larry vanished into the flight deck, closing the door behind him. Jill gave her beau a minor glare.

"Your mom needs to leave us alone, Gar."

The green hero sighed unhappily. "I'll see what I can do."

_**-( scene break )-**_

Before anyone complains, yes, I know that in the comics Cyborg (and Beast Boy and Wonder Girl) didn't have secret identities. It was public knowledge that they were Victor Stone, Garfield Logan and Donna Troy. But in the show BB and Cy had secret identities, even if Raven insisted that since he was green that a secret identity was kind of pointless.


	8. Derek

Raven hovered above the Tower's roof, her face expressionless. Her white cape billowed in the evening breeze. Her gaze was fixed like that of a predator and she watched as the access tunnel opened and a black limousine emerged. She continued to watch it as it merged into the freeway and eventually disappeared into the distance, on its way to the airport.

She looked away, and her jaw trembled as the reality of the situation finally sank in: he was gone; her life with him was over. She, Raven the Wise, had blown it.

She took to the air and flew aimlessly over the bay. It was a moonless night and the brackish waters beckoned her. Throw yourself in, Raven, and I will take care of the rest. I promise you that the pain will end and no one will ever know what happened to you.

Raven went into a trance and she slowly descended to the bay. It was a calm night and the water's surface was mirror smooth. As if on autopilot she glided down, until she was just a few feet above the water. She saw her reflection in the turbid water and it beckoned her to surrender. She felt her will slowly begin to slip away.

_Come Raven, join me and we'll sleep together … forever. There will be no more pain_. The ghostly twin beckoned her.

Raven's expression went completely blank and she began her final descent. As she approached the water's surface and small wave came out of nowhere and hit her in the face. She coughed as she pulled back up, suddenly awake.

Raven stared in horror as she realized what had almost happened. She flew up until she was a few hundred feet above the bays surface and she stopped. She wrapped her arms around herself and began to weep.

"Why, Gar, why? I told you I was sorry." She whimpered.

_**-( scene break )-**_

A young couple walked down the street in the Jump's Gaslamp District and stopped in front of a small brick building, they exchanged a few words and then, arm in arm they entered the building. A flickering neon light above the door identified the establishment as the "Sartre Café". Shortly after they entered another figure approached: a small woman wearing a white hood and a cape. Her gait was gentle and at the same time deliberate and she appeared to glide up the short flight of steps that lead to the heavy oak doors that were the entrance to the café.

The café's interior was shabby and it smelled of coffee. There were over two dozen dilapidated tables, no two alike and a hodgepodge of creaky wooden chairs of all styles and shapes.

It was almost 11 PM and the café was almost full. There was a small stage next to the bar where a huge espresso machine stood out. Three female baristas, their arms covered in tattoos of mysterious glyphs, dragons and other mystical creatures were busy plying their trade, preparing all sorts of coffees for the clientele.

Raven spotted an empty table at the far end of the room, which is how she liked it. As she walked past the stage she saw that Derek, a hipster who was a regular at the café, was on stage reciting some existentialist poem he wrote. He wasn't great but Raven thought that his work was passable.

They had chatted in the past on many occasions, all the way back to even before the Titans became a team. He did seem to hover around her on occasion, at least on the days when he had no other female companionship, which seemed to change a lot over the years. Raven wished she had a dollar for every one of Derek's girlfriends she met over the years. But he had never made a move on her, not once. She never brought Garfield to the café, which was probably a good idea as he would have probably fallen asleep.

Raven reached her table and sat down on one of the mismatched chairs that surrounded it. While Derek continued to prattle on stage one of the café's two waitresses, a girl with orange hair and several piercings on her face approached the sorceress.

"The usual?"

"Yes, please."

The waitress returned within a couple of minutes and placed a mug of Earl Gray tea and a cranberry scone on a chipped plate in front of Raven, and left without saying a word. The gray sorceress picked up the scone and took a tiny bite out of it, after which she sipped her tea. The sound of a saxophone playing the blues filled the café and Raven soaked in its sad, soulful tune, which today seemed even more appropriate than usual. As she took a second bite of her scone Derek sat down at her table.

"Haven't seen you here for a while, I was wondering if you were ever gonna come back."

Raven looked up at him. "I've been busy."

"I imagine. So, what did you think of my recital?"

"I wasn't listening; sorry … I have other things on my mind."

"Beast Boy, huh?"

"His name is Changeling."

"Yeah, I know … so you guys broke up, huh?"

"It's that obvious? … Derek … I don't feel like talking tonight. I just came for the music."

"He dumped you, didn't he? I can tell, you're even gloomier than usual."

She glared at him. "You want some advice? Leave the detective work to Nightwing."

"Sorry Raven … it's just pretty obvious."

"So what if it is?"

He shrugged. "Believe it or not, you'll eventually get over him … how long was he your boyfriend? Two years?"

"Five." She corrected him with a curt voice.

"Whoa, that's rough … you must really be hurting."

"So now you've decided to be a shrink?"

He chuckled. "Nah, I'm just speaking from experience. Believe it or not, I've been dumped a few times."

"I never would have guessed." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"That's what I love about you Raven, that sharp, biting wit."

"Most guys complement a girl on her looks."

"It's already been established that you're hot. No need to repeat it."

"Aren't you the charming one? How many times did you say you got dumped?"

"I didn't … listen, he dumped you and you're feeling lousy. You're stuck in a void, so fill it."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know, connect with a guy. The sooner the better."

"I'm not sure I follow you. Relationships take time to form; you don't just start one on a whim."

"I'm not talking about a 'relationship'. Just hook up with someone. If you're shy, you can hook up with me."

Raven gave him an annoyed look. "In English, please."

He stifled a laugh. "I forget, you're a foreigner. I'll translate for you."

He smiled at her before continuing.

"A hook up … you know … you find a guy you like and you have sex with him."

"Have sex with a stranger? That's your solution? And I thought Beast Boy was an idiot."

Derek leaned back in his chair and smiled at her.

"Don't knock casual sex until you've tried it. Look, if you were with him for five years you were sleeping with him, and don't deny it. Getting laid after being dumped can be very therapeutic."

She pursed her lips. "Somehow, I doubt that. How could a one night stand be a replacement for intimate lovemaking?"

"It doesn't have to be a one night stand. You've heard of "Friends with Benefits", haven't you?"

"I have." She frowned.

"Raven, I'm serious. I know that you're hurting and are probably hoping that you'll reconcile with him. Maybe you will … maybe you won't. Maybe you'll eventually start another relationship, and then you can have all the intimate sex you want. But that might take a while. And right now you feel rejected and undesirable. Just find someone you like. He doesn't have to be a stranger, he can be a friend. It can be pretty good, really satisfying, believe me … I know from experience."

Raven flinched upon hearing his words. He had no idea how close to home he had hit.

"You're just trying to get me into bed with you." She remarked in a dry monotone.

"Who, me? I was just offering to show you the ropes. Hey, I've got a girlfriend now. I'm just trying to help you out here."

"How noble of you."

"Aw, c'mon, don't be that way … you should hook up with one of your fellow Titans … and I know which one, he'll boost your ego."

"Now you're being ridiculous."

"No I'm not. All you have to do is offer him a hook up. Most guys will accept, even the ones with girlfriends. Only the stupid ones, also known as 'the nice guys'; will turn you down … and you're hot Raven, you won't get turned down."

"This is absurd, totally absurd."

"No, it's not. Look Raven, what you really need now is a good looking guy with a really big dick. Have sex with him and your self esteem will improve. Once that happens you can start looking for a boyfriend. But who says you can't have fun in the meantime?"

"You're crazy … so tell me Derek, who should I "hook up" with to fix my self esteem?"

He grinned. "Isn't it obvious? … Nightwing!"

Their table exploded, sending Derek flying into a wall. He slumped to the floor and watched a four eyed Raven approach him. Frozen in terror, he couldn't move. Raven opened her mouth, exposing her serrated teeth.

"Don't ever say that again!" She roared in an otherworldly, guttural tone. As the other patrons stared silently at the scene she sank into the ground and vanished.

A waitress came to inspect the damage. She turned to the still petrified hipster.

"You're paying for the table, Derek."

_**-( scene break )-**_

The sound of the waves crashing against the shoreline rocks permeated the air. Raven stood sadly at the very spot where she found Beast Boy after the Beast incident. The location reminded her of a happier time, when their lives were simpler. She found the repetitive nature of the waves to be soothing, if ineffective in helping her solve her situation. The memory of the incident at the café haunted her and she was still feeling disturbed by it.

The hour was late and Cyborg had already turned on the Tower's security, which meant that she wouldn't be able to phase her way inside. Heaving a tiny sigh as soft as a whisper she headed for the main entrance. After placing her palm on the reader and keying in her passcode the titanium door slid open, granting her access to her home.

She walked quietly through the couch lined lobby until she reached the elevator, which she boarded. Her finger was about to press the H button, which would have taken her to the habitat level. She stopped herself and instead pressed the C button. The elevator doors closed and when they reopened she was in the common room, where she disembarked, taking a detour to prepare a cup of herbal tea. Much to her surprise, Cyborg was still up, at midnight, playing a videogame. She walked to the couch and sat down next to him. Without turning to face him, she spoke.

"Aren't you getting a bit old to be playing those inane video games?"

"I'll never be too old … by the way, I saved you some pizza."

"Thank you."

"Hey, no problem … so how was your outing? You disappeared after kissing him good bye. Boy, did Jillian look pissed."

She closed her eyes and shook her head as she replied.

"Not good."

"That's too bad. Anything you want to talk about?"

She leaned back on the couch and crossed her arms.

"I went to the café."

"Oh, you mean the one with the beatniks?"

"They're not beatniks; the café's clientele is a mix of Goths and Hipsters."

"Sounds like a lively crowd."

"It's not, which is why I like to go there. I bumped into one of the regulars, a jerk named Derek. He fancies himself a poet and a ladies' man. He's neither."

"Lemme guess, he pissed you off?"

"You could say that."

"What did he do?"

"Apparently the entire world knows that Gar dumped me, though they don't know why, for which I'm grateful. Anyway, Derek suggested that I drown my sorrows with copious amounts of casual sex, and he even offered himself to me as a sacrificial lamb."

Cyborg snickered. "So what did you do to him? Send him to another dimension?"

She shook her head. "I behaved myself and restricted my responses to telling him he was insane. He wouldn't take no for an answer and my patience began to wear thin."

"So what happened?"

"He switched gears, suggesting that I 'hook up' with a teammate, preferably a handsome one with an oversized penis."

Cyborg guffawed. "Did he really tell you that?"

"He did. I think he was hoping that someone else would break me in and that he could swoop in later for sloppy seconds. And before you ask, I didn't do anything to him, at least not until …"

"Oh oh, what happened?"

Raven was suddenly fighting back tears. "He suggested I approach Nightwing and that I make him a 'friend with benefits'."

Cyborg's face fell. "Oh snap."

"That's when I lost it." She said between sobs. "Cyborg … Victor … what's wrong with me?"

"Raven, that's not for me to say."

She sniffled before continuing. "Victor, am I the girlfriend from hell?"

He took a deep breath and exhaled before answering. "Only you know the answer to that question, Raven."

"I suppose that you're right … well then, let's approach this logically."

"Always a good idea if you ask me." He replied.

"Gar was my boyfriend for five years."

He raised his human eyebrow, but said nothing. She noticed his facial gesture.

"Yes, I know I never publicly acknowledged him as such, but he was my boyfriend and you all knew it."

He cleared his throat. "That makes you an ass or a bitch, Raven, but not a satanic girlfriend."

"I know, I'm still in fact gathering mode … he was faithful to me and was a fantastic lover. He is very well endowed, far better than most men."

"And you know this, how?" He grinned.

"I read, or do you think I was running around with a ruler, measuring other men?" She glared at him.

"Ok, sorry, that was uncalled for." He apologized.

"Thanks … so continuing … he put up with my bitchy disposition for five years, never complaining, that is …"

"Until the Ball." He remarked.

"The Ball, where he gave me a taste of my own medicine, and instead of taking it I went nuclear on him. I even hit him with my powers, and hard. I didn't hold back. Had he been an ordinary guy I probably would have cracked several of his ribs and sent him to the hospital."

"I was there … you did slam him good … "

She sighed. "It started innocently enough. Aqualad saw me crying and consoled me. He then told me about Tula and how she dumped him. I think that was when my clusterfuck began."

"What do you mean?"

"Cyborg, it's no secret that I've had a crush on Aqualad since the day I met him. He's unbelievably handsome. Gar on the other hand … well … he isn't. He isn't ugly, but, well, he's kind of ordinary looking, except for being green, having pointy ears and fangs. And I know, I'm one to talk. I'm gray, have purple hair and I'm five foot nothing. I'm hardly a beauty queen."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short … there's a reason that Derek guy was trying to get into your panties … you got the goods Raven."

"Victor, please don't patronize me."

"No, I'm serious, you got a nice figure. You're well shaped upstairs and have sweet butt."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Anyway, getting back to the biggest mistake I ever made …"

She began to break down.

"Gar's my only true love Victor; I just … just angry and I lost control."

She began to wail uncontrollably.

"Raven …"

She pulled herself together, wiping away the tears. "So now I've lost my true love, who has already taken up with another woman."

"Raven … I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to; I know I'm a monster."

He shook his head. "You're not a monster Raven, but what you are is an idiot. You played with fire and got burned."

"It just feels so hopeless." She whimpered.

"Look, Raven, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. You dug yourself in deep. You really hurt him, but I think that with time, he will forgive you and maybe even take you back."

"And what about Jillian?"

"She's the wildcard. I hate to say this Raven, but at this point in time, BB is hers to lose. If she doesn't screw up with him, you can pretty much kiss him goodbye."

"I already knew that … so what do I do, Victor? I'm never gonna find someone else. Do I just play the hook up game like Derek suggested?"

"Hey! First of all, you haven't lost him yet, not permanently. Secondly, even if you do lose him, there are other nice guys. But most of all, you aren't going to lower yourself to one night stands. You're way too good for that, so get it out of your head … and just so you know, I'm already working on getting him to forgive you."

Her face lit up. "You are?"

"I am, but that's only the first step and believe it or not, it's the easy one."

"What's the hard step?" She asked.

He looked away and frowned. He turned back to face her with a troubled look on his face.

"The tough part is gonna be getting him to believe you've really changed."

_**-( scene break )-**_

Jill and Rita's outing will have to wait until next time.


End file.
